Higurashi
by Jezunya
Summary: ON HOLD. Please do not leave reviews just asking me to update. It's not happening, at least not until I get some serious rewriting done on this...
1. News

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 1 (I am so **not** gonna come up with chapter titles for this one)

Ooh, before I forget, here's the disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha (T.T). He and all his little friends (er.. enemies) all belong to the great Takahashi Rumiko-sama. I have a very small amount of money (seriously...like $25) and that is for buying manga! So you silly corporate people are making money off me anyway!! Don't sue!! All I get from this is enjoyment and a bit of sanity, 'cuz now I don't have this stupid idea running around causing trouble in my head!!

This was up on my site for a while and I got a request to finish it, so I'm posting it here to see what all you people think! Ok, personally I don't think this fic is nearly as well written as "Waking," which is weird, cuz that was like a spur-of-the-moment thing, while I actually planned this one. Oh well.. Be nice, I wrote this chapter a long time ago! O, and beware of mushy and melodramatic stuff!!

Narration"Speech"_Thoughts/Special Stuff (you'll see)_

** ** ** ** **

They strolled through the forest, heading in the general direction of the Bone-Eater's well. They walked beside each other, just enjoying the other's company.

Kagome sighed contentedly, playing with the chain around her neck, and finally pulled the glowing, round pendant out from under her shirt. The completed Jewel glittered in the dappled sunlight. "I can't believe it's really over," she murmured.

Beside her, Inuyasha snorted. "Nothing's over," he said matter-of-factly. "We just don't have anything particularly pressing to do now." He seated himself comfortably on the large roots of the Go Shinboku and motioned for Kagome to sit with him, which she did.

"I know. I just meant... the quest. Naraku. Kikyou..." she trailed off, still a little uneasy talking about the once-again-deceased priestess.

"Hey," Inuyasha said softly, touching her shoulder. "It's okay."

Kagome nodded and gave him a sincere, reassuring smile. "I know. It's just... never-mind.." She sighed again and leaned against him, her eyes drifting half closed as she gazed out at the peaceful forest. "I love this place... this time," she murmured after a few minutes. "I'm really going to miss it here."

Inuyasha tensed, alarms going off in his head. "W-what d'ya mean? Your coming back, right?"

Kagome nodded. "Of course. It's summer right now – you know, vacation time -- and most of my friends in my time are off traveling with their families, so I can pretty much spend as much time here as I want." She smiled warmly up at him, then looked away, blushing slightly. Inuyasha sighed inwardly, relaxing again.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. "Say, Kagome," Inuyasha said casually. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Uh.. I was wondering..." Inuyasha felt the color rising in his cheeks as he fished around in the front of his kimono. "Would you... um... can I... uh, I mean..." he flustered. _Damn it!! Where did I put the frickin' thing?!_

Kagome watched him patiently for a few moments, then exclaimed, "Oh no! I forgot!" She quickly stood and set off in the direction of the well. Almost as an after-thought, she paused to give an explanation to the bewildered dog-demon. "Gomen nasai, Inuyasha! My family went to visit some friends in Nerima and they were supposed to arrive home this morning! I'm supposed to meet them at the shrine when they get back! Ja mata ne!"

Inuyasha could only stare as she hurried away. He sagged down against the tree, his hand still in his kimono. At last he found the object he had been seeking. He pulled out the small, black box and clicked it open. "Will you marry me?" he whispered bitterly to the place where Kagome had once stood, holding the glittering diamond ring in shaky hands.

***

"I'm home!" Kagome yelled as she dropped her huge pack in the front entry. No answer. "Minna?" she called, cocking her head to the side.

"They're gone."

Kagome whirled around to find a man standing on the threshold of the living room. He was dressed in a crisp, black suit and looked very grim and business-like.

"Um.. May I help you?" Kagome asked, remembering her manners at the last instant.

"Actually, I think I can help you," the man said, stepping forward. "My name is Mr. Jikkou. I am the executor for your mother's and grandfather's accounts."

"Their accounts?" Kagome echoed, backing away slightly. She had a cold, sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Yes. Unfortunately, your grandfather had certain... debts that took all of his remaining money. And your mother, being as young as she was, had not written out any sort of a will. All of her accounts were therefore lost," Jikkou said, laying his briefcase on the coffee table and clicking it open.

"A-a will?" Kagome asked shakily. "What do you mean?"

The man sighed. "I suppose you haven't heard. Here." He produced a folded up newspaper and handed it to Kagome.

She unfolded it and stared at the front page. "Bullet Trains Collide. Thousands Killed" the headlines read. Kagome swallowed hard. "They... they weren't on the train... were they?"

Jikkou looked up at her, his eyes sympathetic in his cold face. He stood and held out another piece of paper. "I had instructions to deliver this to you either on your eighteenth birthday or if your legal guardians died."

Kagome took the paper hesitantly. It was an envelope. At first she thought it was made of parchment, but then realized that it was simply worn and yellowed with age. She peered at the faded ink on the front. It bore her name, first and last, written in her mother's neat scrawl. She glanced up at Jikkou questioningly, and he motioned her to open it.

Inside the envelope was a letter, also written by the late Mrs. Higurashi.

__

Dear Kagome,

Oh, how I wish I could call you 'My Dear Kagome,' but you are not mine, not really. I feel that you should know your true heritage, and wish that I could tell you. But I know not. All I know is this: we, my husband I, found you at the bottom of the dry well here on my father's shrine. We contacted the police, but when no one claimed you, we were allowed to make you legally ours.

When we found you, you had about your neck an amulet of sorts. It bore your name and the day of your birth. It was your name, 'Higurashi Kagome,' that caught my eye and first inspired me to take you in. After all, what are the chances of finding a beautiful, abandoned baby in a well, with the same surname as me?

If you are reading this, you are either of the appointed age, 18 years old, or we are all dead. I certainly hope that it is the former and that, even with this knowledge, you will not leave us. I love you as if I had brought you into the world myself. However, if the latter has come to pass, then I encourage you to seek out your true family, who is connected to you by blood. Find them and live happily for the rest of your life.

With love,

Your mom, if not your mother,

Higurashi Yuuko

Kagome stared at the words, then scanned over them again to be sure she had read them correctly. Found? At the bottom of the well? Then that would mean... She shook her head and continued reading. The first entry had been dated 1982, her supposed year of birth, but the next was written in the year 1997, several months after it had all begun.

__

Dearest Kagome,

Well, now I know the truth. You are of that time. I just hope you return to me from there. I cannot help fearing that, once you know the truth, you will choose that time over this. 

And that dog-boy, Inuyasha. I've seen the way you look at him. I suppose I have to trust him as you do, but I am still uneasy because he is a demon. If we are all gone, then he will be your sole protector, and that thought is rather frightening to me.

Perhaps I am just being paranoid. I know he will protect you. In any case, my instructions from when you were a child still stand, regardless of the fact that your true family lives hundreds of years in the past. If there is nothing left for you in this time, and you find yourself alone, go to them, and live happily.

Once again, with love,

Kaa-chan

Kagome could only stare at the letter. She... was... from... Inuyasha's time? Her mind reeled, refusing to accept what it was being told. It was impossible. Ridiculous. She couldn't be from the Sengoku Jidai. And yet... it was true. 

And the fact that she was reading this letter was testament that... Her thoughts trailed off as another bit of info finally hit home.

They were gone.

Deceased.

Dead.

She was shaking, gasping for breath, trying to hold back her tears. "I—I have to go--" she managed to choke out before rushing out the front door. Jikkou made no move to stop her.

She had to get away. This couldn't be happening. She stumbled, half blinded by tears, to the well house. Without another thought, she threw her self down the long dark shaft that housed the portal into the past. The portal home.

** ** ** ** **

Well? What'd you think? Good? Bad? This is a fic that's been on my website for a while now, and I polished it up (see how clean and shiny?) so I could post on FF.Net. It's just the first chapter, and yes, I know it's short and nothing's really happened yet, but more will be coming soon! I promise!

Oh, and don't worry, Inu and Kag ain't gettin' married any time soon (kukukukuku)

I had the Quest be completed because I didn't want to have to deal with searching for Jewel Shards and fighting Naraku. Plus, it probably would've deteriorated into a "Kill Kikyou Party" rather quickly, and that's not what I'm going for here. (Why I do feel that I must explain that..? I dunno, I just do :P)

REVIEWS ARE AN ELIXER OF LIFE FOR AUTHORS!! GIVE ME REVIEWS!!


	2. Nightmares and Tears

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 2

Wow…so many reviews… o.O I'm so pleased!! 

Jeez, why does everyone like this one so much? Do you all hate Kagome's family or something?? You mean, horrible people!! Just kidding. ^^; Thank you all for your encouragement. That, plus my li'l sister Cho-chan whining to me about finishing this fic, has gotten me to start working on it again.

(Calendar-chan, if you kill me, I won't be able to write any more, and then where will we be??)

(Don't worry, Lady Priestess, there will definitely be romance!)

(Sorry, all you Kikyou fans, she's dead [again]. And, sorry to all you Kikyou haters, since she's already been put to rest, there will be no horrible, bloody deaths in store for her.)

****

I don't own Inuyasha!!! Really, where would anyone get such a crazy idea?!

Well, here's the second chapter! I hope you all like it!!

** ** ** ** **

Inuyasha sulked on his favorite branch. Kagome'd barely been gone five minutes, and he already missed her.

He scowled. He missed the girl? Yes, he _always_ missed her when she left. He'd admitted that fact to himself some time ago. It was admitting it to other people that was the problem, though. He sighed, letting his tough-guy facade slip for just a moment. How could he ask her to stay with him? She was from a future that could not even be dreamed of in this time. It was a future full of "modern" conveniences like in-door plumbing, central heating, and many other luxuries.. luxuries that Kagome deserved. Not to mention all her family and friends were in that time. He couldn't ask her to leave all that behind just to marry some screw-up half-breed.

You could always go live there, a little voice in his head reminded him. He shrugged, frowning thoughtfully. Actually, a life without having to fight a frothing youkai every other day didn't sound all that bad. And he would eventually learn to be accustomed to all the strange things of Kagome's world. He reached inside his kimono and pulled out the tiny black box. He opened it almost reverently, secretly a little afraid to even touch the glittering gem with his clumsy, clawed hands. It would make sense for him to go live in her time, he mused. After all, he'd gone to all the trouble of getting the ring for her. He wanted to show her that he could do things the way they were done in her time. 

A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, carrying with it a soft, familiar scent. Inuyasha felt his heart skip a beat and he sat up, watching the well eagerly. 

He'd try again. Now, he decided.

Several moments passed and the girl still did not appear. He frowned, and leapt off his branch to land only feet away from the well.

Inuyasha peered over the edge, spotted the girl curled up at the bottom, then hopped down into it. "Oi! Kagome! What's the… matter…?" He trailed off, realizing that, in landing on the bottom, the well had done its duty and transported him several hundred years into the future, whereas Kagome, however, had remained back in the Sengoku Jidai. He climbed out, then jumped back in, grumbling and growling as only a grouchy dog-demon could do.

The little ball that was Kagome didn't even look up when the hanyou appeared beside her. For just an instant, the thought that she might be dead passed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it, as he could hear her breathing and heartbeat perfectly. He gently lifted her in his arms, turning her over so he could see her face.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, but tears still poured down her dirt-smeared cheeks. Her hands were balled into little fists and she seemed to trembling uncontrollably.

"Kagome..?" Inuyasha asked, the sight of her crying making his voice thick and husky. The girl shuddered, a sob escaping her, and tried to curl up even more. On a split second decision, he climbed out of the well, his precious cargo cradled protectively against his chest, and started off for the village.

***

Inuyasha tried once again to set the girl down on the futon that had been laid out for her. He set her down, removed his arms from around her, and tried to pry her hands off the front of his kimono. However, the girl's hands, though small and delicate, seemed to contain some kind of awesome strength, and absolutely refused to let go. After several fruitless attempts, he sighed long-sufferingly, and picked her up again. "The things I do for you.." he grumbled as he seated himself on the futon. Kagome sniffled and snuggled closer to him.

He gazed at her face. She had cried herself to sleep as he had carried her, occasional whimpers replacing the sobs that had only minutes before racked her entire body. 

__

And those sobs replaced the smile she had worn only minutes before that, he thought. What had happened in her time? His brow creased as he leaned back on the wall, his mind running through several possibilities. 

***

She laughed happily, her face shining. They were all here. Her family. Celebrating her birthday together in the kitchen of their house. Her mother was pulling the cake out of the oven. Grampa was trying to tell her about some ancient artifact or legend. Souta was tugging on her sleeve, telling her to open his gift first.

It had all been a dream. A nightmare. Nothing had happened to them, they were all here, all fine. 

"Kagome."

She spun around, but no one was there. Shrugging, she turned back to her family. The kitchen was empty. A slight breeze came in through the window, rustling the curtains and making the streamers overhead sway slightly.

"I suppose you haven't heard." There was Mr. Jikkou, standing stock-still and staring straight forward like a statue. 

"What..?" Kagome asked, peering up at him.

"They're gone." His voice seemed to echo and resound off the walls, although his mouth did not move.

Kagome's eyes widened. Everything shattered around her.

***

Kagome's eyes snapped open. For a moment, she just lay there, breathing hard and looking around, frantically taking in her surroundings.

Her eyes widened and she blushed furiously as she realized that she was sitting in Inuyasha's lap, his arms protectively around her, her head resting against his chest. His arms tightened as she tensed, and his nose and ears seemed to twitch almost spasmodically.

She chewed her lip, looking up at his tense face. On an impulse, she carefully reached up and massaged his ears. They were amazingly soft and silky under her fingers. She smiled as he seemed to relax under he gentle ministrations. Still blushing slightly, but smiling nonetheless, Kagome let her hands drop and leaned against his chest once more.

__

What… what was that? she thought. _A nightmare..? _She stared at the ceiling of the hut, thinking back on the dream.

Wait, hut?

With a little gasp, she realized she was in Kaede's tiny house, in the Sengoku Jidai. _Yes, that's all it was,_ she realized, relieved._ A nightmare. And a stupid one at that. Bullet trains colliding? Yeah right. What are the chances of that?_

She paused, looking up at Inuyasha's sleeping face. _It was just a dream… right..?_ Kagome knit her brows, her mind made up. She had to be sure. She carefully disentangled herself from Inuyasha's grasp, and slipped out of the hut.

She ran through the forest, not even needing to see the path she had tread so many times. At last she found what she was searching for: the Bone-Eater's Well. Without a moment's hesitation, she leapt over the edge. She scrambled up the rope ladder, hurrying out of the mini-shrine and out into the shrine compound.

She skidded to a halt when she saw the house. All the lights were out, but it was in the middle of the night, so no surprise there. She began walking toward the house, when her foot brushed something on the ground. She knelt down, picking up the two items: a newspaper, and…

The world seemed to freeze. It was the letter from her mom. She must have dropped it in her hurried departure. She looked more closely at the newspaper, and was able to just make out the headline in the faint moonlight: "Bullet Trains Collide"

She dropped the papers on the ground, falling back in shock. It was real. It had really happened. They were really dead. Fresh tears streaked down her face.

"Kagome..?" She looked behind her. Inuyasha had just emerged from the well-house, his face worried. "Are you alright?" She shook her head, turning back to stare at the letter. Inuyasha silently came to crouch next to her. "What is it?" he asked softly. Kagome didn't reply. "Come on, talk to me!" he commanded, his voice still quiet, and put an arm around her shaking shoulders.

Something snapped inside her and she suddenly threw herself into his arms, sobbing into his shirt. "They're gone! All gone!" she sobbed.

"What? Who's gone?" Inuyasha asked, confused. 

"My family. They're dead..!" she wailed.

** ** ** ** **

Well, I was planning on putting more into this chapter, but it's taken me so long to write this that I decided to just end it here. ^-^

__

Something snapped inside her and she suddenly threw herself into his arms, sobbing into his shirt. "They're gone! All gone!" she sobbed.

"What? Who's gone?" Inuyasha asked, confused. 

"The chocolate-chip cookies! Shippou ate the last one!!" she wailed.

"WHY THAT LITTLE beep!!! HE'LL PAY FOR THIS!!!"

Ehehe.. sorry, couldn't resist ^^;

Review please!! Or email me at jezbez223@excite.com I love email!!


	3. Daughter of the Sunset

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: me no own, you no sue ^-^

Sorry this took so long, mina-san! I had a bad case of Writer's Block -_-; Thank you to all of you wonderful people who reviewed!! (so many reviews….. @.@) And yes, I finally gave in and have titled the chapters. :p

Jeez.. There was a lot of crying in the last chapters, ne? Well, don't worry! Things should be a bit happier from here on out ^-~ (not to mention the plot will actually gets going…)

Narration "Speech" _Thoughts_

** ** ** ** **

Kagome sank into a deep depression. She rarely spoke, ate little, and spent most of her time either sitting by the well or curled up in Kaede's hut. The old miko claimed that this self-isolation was part of the healing process, though that did little to dispel the worry they all felt. 

It was a usual day in the Sengoku Jidai. Or at least, what had become the usual in the last month or so since Inuyasha had carried a sobbing, family-less Kagome back through the well. 

Kagome sat with her arms folded on the brim of the well, staring blankly down into it. _Mama.. Souta.. Gramps… Why did you die? Why did you leave me here?_ She watched a tiny sparrow alight on the opposite side of the well. It paused, cocking its head and blinking up at her. She blinked back, her face as devoid of a smile as the bird's. The sparrow ruffled its feathers and hopped along the edge of the well, snatching up a dandelion seed that had drifted onto the wooden frame.

Her eyes followed the bird as it flew up into the blue summer sky and disappeared into the crushing grip of a hulking youkai.

The youkai was huge and black, with leathery skin and the curling horns and cloven hooves of a ram. Its hands were talons, long and sharp, and as it clamped its fist shut around the small bird, there was a crunch of bone and a sickening gurgle. Its cold and intelligent eyes fell on her, and Kagome felt a shudder run through her. She did not move, though.

The black eyes swept over her and a look of surprise and then recognition came into them. Then it looked her straight in the eye and smiled cruelly, revealing long, sharp, black teeth. "Daughter of the Sunset," it breathed, its voice as leathery and dry as its skin. It took a step toward her, one arm arching back for a mighty swing. "You die here."

She looked calmly up as the talons began to descend. _Mama.. I'll be joining you soon…_

***

Inuyasha loped through the forest, working the stiffness from his limbs. He'd been lounging on his branch all morning, watching over Kagome. When the sun had reached its zenith, he'd slipped to the ground and left on his daily run, as he did everyday. It was almost a tradition now. In the morning Kagome would walk out to the well, and he would follow her. He would hop up onto a tree branch as she settled herself next to the well. They would sit like that all morning, each aware of the other, but lost in their own thoughts. At midday, he would run off for a minute, stop at the village for food, bring it over to the well, and make Kagome eat it. They would reseat themselves and stay there through the afternoon. At dusk he would descend from his tree to pick up the girl and take her back to Kaede's hut. 

It was such a perfected tradition, that Inuyasha was almost glad when he caught the scent of a hostile youkai. Almost. He froze and then bolted in the opposite direction he had been going when he realized where the scent was coming from.

The youkai swung its arm down, striking to kill. In a blur of red and white, he leapt at it, snarling in rage as he slashed through its arm. The youkai shrieked in pain and stumbled back, clutching the stump where its arm had once been. Its eyes, clouded with pain, focused on him.

"You…" It stopped, glancing over the dog-demon's shoulder at Kagome. "..And the Daughter of the Sunset… It will never come to pass!!" it shrieked, lunging at Inuyasha.

His first instinct was to dodge, but with Kagome behind him, that was not an option. So he met the attack head-on, grabbing the youkai's wrist in both his hands, twisting it around over his head, and hurling it away from them. It sailed a surprising distance for something so huge, flying across the clearing and smashing into a tree. Its form seemed to blur and flicker for a moment, like an unclear image on a TV screen. Then it was standing and the image was steady again.

It grinned viciously at Inuyasha, showing its black fangs, now smeared red with its own blood. "Do you actually think, Dog, that you can defeat me?" Its grin grew, turning into an almost insane smile. Suddenly, it disappeared.

And reappeared right behind Kagome.

Several things happened almost instantaneously: Inuyasha screamed at Kagome to duck as he drew Tetsusaiga, the youkai pulled back its good arm to take a swing at the girl, Kagome dropped to the ground, missing the monster's talons by a hair's breadth, and Inuyasha threw the Steel-cleaving Fang with all his might.

The youkai fell heavily to the ground, the sword buried up to the hilt in its chest. "Well.." it said, smiling weakly. "It appears you have killed me." Then it sighed and went limp. Its body blurred and then, in its place was a small, black, fox.

Inuyasha stood panting, then walked over to retrieve the Tetsusaiga. He looked over at the girl, who was still kneeling on the ground, staring at the dead kitsune. "Are you alright, Kagome?" he asked, flopping down on the ground next to her.

She turned wide eyes on him. "…You… saved me…" She sounded almost astonished.

"Of course I saved you, baka!" he said, almost angrily. "What were you doing just sitting there?! Are you trying to get yourself killed or something?!"

"…" She wouldn't meet his gaze, looking slightly ashamed.

Inuyasha's face softened. He pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "Don't scare me like that. I didn't protect you from Naraku and all his hell-born minions to lose you to some small-fry youkai," he said softly.

Kagome's eyes widened. _That's right,_ she thought._ Inuyasha.. wants me to live…_ Her eyes began to tear up and a whimper escaped her. "I-I'm sorry," she cried, burying her face in his kimono.

He held her, stroking her hair, until she quieted. She pulled back, smiling through her tears. "Arigatou, Inuyasha." She pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear, looking away shyly. "I think I'm gonna be okay now." She climbed to her feet and offered him her hand, smiling again. He looked at it, then glanced up into her face uncertainly. At her encouraging smile, he took her small hand in his and stood up next to her. 

They walked back to the village, hand in hand.

*** 

Inuyasha lay sprawled on the thatch roof of Kaede's hut. The hay was soft and smelled sweet, and the summer sun was at just the right angle to warm him and his perch, and yet not be shining in his eyes. He lay, seemingly at peace with his surroundings, but internally, chaos and confusion reigned. He couldn't focus his thoughts, which may have been caused by the comfortable setting, Kagome's lullaby-like humming coming from the ground below, or that he was completely confused by what he was trying to figure out.

For the most part, he couldn't stop thinking about the events of the last few days. Kagome had been attacked by a youkai. He'd saved her, of course, and the attack had seemed to jerk her out of the pit of despair she'd been wallowing in, much to his and the others' relief. She'd gradually returned to the happy, bubbly girl that had helped them defeat the ultimate evil while still managing to make it into a good high school. And she'd.. let him hold her hand…

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He couldn't be getting caught on minor details, no matter how much of a warm and fuzzy feeling they gave him. It was what the youkai had called Kagome – "Daughter of the Sunset" – that was bothering him.

He rolled over onto his stomach, thinking. He'd heard that before somewhere. Or.. read it, perhaps? Yes, he'd read it in… some kind of old text. A prophecy? No. Some type of political paper, something left by his father.

He felt a small prick on his cheek, and reflexively slapped it. A flattened flea-demon fluttered down into his waiting palm. "Myouga-jiji," he said, a soft growl tainting his voice. If anyone could give him advice on demon-lore it was the old retainer.

"Inuyasha-sama," the flea responded, popping back up. He looked intently at his master's face. "Something is troubling you?"

The hanyou nodded curtly. "That youkai that I fought at the well some days ago. It called Kagome 'Daughter of the Sunset.' That mean anything to you?"

Myouga's insect eyes widened, the lids nearly vanishing completely behind the too-big orbs. He looked thoughtful for a minute, then asked seriously, "What manner of youkai was it?"

"At first it looked like some kind of huge monster," Inuyasha said, remembering. "But it turned out to be a kitsune."

Myouga frowned. "Did you notice anything in particular about it? Like the color of its fur?"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. Just where was the old geezer going with this? "It was black, not brown like Shippou."

The tiny demon's frown grew, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully with one hand. "Strange, strange.." he mumbled to himself. "There hasn't been any sign of them in these parts since.. since…"

The dog-demon peered at him closely. "Hasn't been any sign of who?"

"Oh! Inuyasha-sama! I f-forgot that… um.." Myouga stuttered, suddenly remembering where he was. "Uh, no, no. I have no idea why the Lady Kagome would be called such a thing," he said hastily. He bounced off his master's palm and was gone.

"HEY!" Inuyasha yelled, jumping up onto his hands and knees. He scanned the area, ignoring the startled villagers. When there was no sign of the cowardly retainer, he laid back down, grumbling to himself. That had gotten him nowhere. He'd just have to figure it out on his own, he decided.

__

But not right now, he thought sleepily, his eyelids drooping as Kagome's humming, the sun, and the hay finally got to him.

He slept.

*** 

He hopped through the forest, first going to the Bone-Eater's Well, then setting off in search of the corpse that he knew was close by. He came upon it a little ways into the forest, covered with a small amount of leaves and dirt. Inuyasha apparently didn't know how to properly bury an opponent, especially one who was as worthy as this one had surely been. Which was just as well, since he had hoped to be able to examine it.

The fur was by now caked with mud and beginning to decompose with the rest of the body, but in patches its true color still shown through: a deep, silky black, like the sky at midnight during a storm. 

A Kurotsune.

They were appearing again, after nearly ten years. And they thought Kagome-sama was lost Child of Dusk. Which would have been an understandable mistake, as the girl carried impressive miko powers, not to mention her name.. But the Child had died, nearly sixteen years ago. It had to be a mistake, it had to be..

Something stirred in the forest, something magical. Myouga backed away warily. The fox was dead, but there was still much magic contained within its flesh, and he did not want to be there when its comrades came to fetch the body.

***

"Kaaaagooooooomeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

The young priestess looked up from the herbs she was sorting just in time for a bawling fox-child to fling himself into her arms. Other village children were likewise rushing to their parents. "Shippou-chan," she coughed, trying to pry him off her neck. "What's wrong..?"

"Wewereplayingoutintheforest,whenthisbigmeanyoukaiattackedusanditalmostateonekidbutIdistracteditwithmyFoxFireandthenitcameaftermeandthenitstartedchasingusallbutitstoppedwhenwegottothevillageandnowit'sjustwaitingoutthereforanyonetoleavethevillageand.. and…" Shippou wailed. He sniffled, calming down slightly. "And it was scary!"

"It's okay, Shippou-chan," Kagome soothed, hugging the kitsune child. "You just stay here. Don't worry, we'll take care of it, won't we?" she said as she glanced up at the dog-demon sunning himself on Kaede's roof.

"Mn..?" Inuyasha mumbled, not bothering to open his eyes. "What is it we're going to take care of?"

"There's a youkai just outside the village, Inuyasha. Don't you think we should do something about it?"

"Yeah… Sure….. Z-z-z-z-z……."

"Inuyasha! Get up! Don't make me say the word!"

Inuyasha jerked up. "Alright, alright, I'm up," he yawned. He looked mournfully at his comfortable spot on the roof, then sighed and leapt to the ground. "So where is this nuisance of a youkai?" he asked, stretching.

"Over by the East road," Shippou said, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "Sort of near the well."

Inuyasha nodded and started off in that direction, Kagome close behind him.

*** 

They met up with Sango and Miroku on their way out, and the four walked purposefully out to the forest, weapons in hand. They got all the way out to the Go Shinboku before there was even the slightest trace of a youkai. 

It burst from the forest, swooping down form the branches of the huge trees and screaming like a banshee. It was huge and black like the youkai that had attacked Kagome before, but this one had the form of a sphynx. Its head was that of a human woman, the skin smooth and black like it had been stained with ink. From about the neck down, it had the lean body of a black panther. From its shoulders sprouted two huge bat-wings that were flared above its head as it pounced.

The sphynx attacked quickly, hissing and pawing at Inuyasha. He blocked the strikes easily with Tetsusaiga, but as soon as he tried to attack, it teleported over to the other side of the clearing, by Sango and Miroku. It concentrated on them for a few moments, but, as with Inuyasha, it blipped out of existence as soon as they took the offense.

They watched Kagome, the only one who had not yet been attacked, waiting for the youkai to reappear. An instant later, it did.

Thirty feet above them.

"Daughter of the Sunset," it hissed, its voice sounding like the wind rushing over dry parchment. 

Kagome glared up at it, readying her bow. "Why do you keep calling me that?!" she yelled. She let the arrow fly, and the beast narrowly dodged it.

"My Mistress will be pleased to hear that you have at last been found." It smirked. "As I'm sure your father will be as well."

"What?!" Kagome exclaimed, her bow forgotten. _My father?!_

The sphynx smirked again, and disappeared.

They stared up at the place where the sphynx had been, half expecting it to appear and attack again. Inuyasha's thoughts were wild and confused. The youkai had spoken as if Kagome's father were alive and in _this_ time. But that wasn't possible.. was it? He shook his head. He'd ask her about it later.

*** 

She sat out on a knoll over-looking the rice fields, watching the sun slowly edge toward the distant horizon. They kept calling her the "Daughter of the Sunset." What did it mean? 

__

Perhaps…

She pulled out the letter. She always kept it close to her, as it was really the only thing she had left to remind her of her moth.. of her mom. She traced a finger over the neat writing on the outside of the envelope: _Higurashi Kagome._

It was her name. Both in this time and the one she had grown up in. _Higurashi.. "Sunset." I wonder.._ Could that have been what the youkai were talking about? Her name? 

But why would youkai be after her simply because of her name? It had to have something to do with her family. She rested her chin in her hand, frowning at the red-gold orb in the sky.

** ** ** ** **

Author's stuff: Well, how'd you like this last chapter? Good? Bad? 

The "Kurotsune" are my own creations. The name pretty much translates as "black fox," I guess.

In case anyone was wondering, when Shippou's talking [bawling] to Kagome, he says: "'We were playing out in the forest, when this big mean youkai attacked us and it almost ate one kid but I distracted it with my Fox Fire and then it came after me and then it started chasing us all but it stopped when we got to the village and now it's just waiting out there for anyone to leave the village and.. and…' Shippou wailed. He sniffled, calming down slightly. 'And it was scary!'" Hehe.. Shippou-chan wa kawaii, ne? ^-~

Japanese terms you may or may not be familiar with:

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Baka - idiot, stupid.

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-chan - a name suffix that shows endearment; often used for small children (Shippou-chan), close family/friends (Chocho-chan) or just all-around cuteness (Inu-chan!! ^-^).

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Go Shinboku - The "God Tree" that Inuyasha was pinned to for 50 years, which also stands in the Shrine complex in Kagome's time

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hanyou - "half youkai," like Inuyasha; usually translated as half-demon.

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-jiji - a rude way of saying "old man" or "gramps."

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Kitsune - "fox," used to mean a fox spirit/demon with magical powers.

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miko - a Shinto priestess.

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-sama - a very respectful and honorific name suffix; translates as lord/lady.

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Sengoku Jidai - "Warring States Period" or the feudal age in Japan, about 600 to 400 years ago (I think). 

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Youkai - usually translated simply as "demon," though it is really more of a broad term, referring to any-&-all traditional Japanese monsters ranging from ghosts to oni [ogres].

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Don't forget to review!! ^-^


	4. Old Enemies

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 4

I don't own Inuyasha. Feh.

** ** ** ** **

Meisai blipped back into existence with a sigh. The stream of time was always cold, but it had seemed almost icy as she'd returned. She landed softly on the cool marble floor of the reception hall, her leathery panther paws making no noise as they touched down. With another sigh, she blurred her form, shifting from the sphinx-like shape to the more preferred humanoid body. 

"Meisai! Get in here!"

Meisai winced, her mistress's voice echoing off the black marble walls of the palace, scraping against her eardrums in a very unpleasant manner. Another sigh, almost a yawn this time, followed as she reached back and untied her long, glossy, black hair. "I'm coming," she called back, procrastinating as much as possible by slowly working any kinks out of her hair with her claws.

"Now, Meisai!!"

"Coming, coming, jeez…" Meisai turned her attention to her silky tail, twirling the end around her fingers as she began to slowly make her way to the throne room. 

Marudashi lay sprawled across her throne, staring up at the vaulted ceiling in exasperation, her tail twitching impatiently. "What took you so long?" she snapped, sitting up to glare at the other fox girl.

Meisai knelt down in front of her mistress before answering the question. "The Child was not alone."

"So?"

"The Inu youkai was there."

"The Inu youkai..?" Marudashi tapped a slim finger against her lips, looking back up at the ceiling. "I thought we got rid of him a long time ago. He hasn't been resurrected, has he..?"

"No, Mistress," Meisai replied seriously. "I meant his son was there. Not the White Lord himself."

Marudashi blinked at her. "His son..? Now that's odd. I had no idea Sesshoumaru was a part of this whole mess…"

"_No, Mistress," Meisai said again, her patience quickly waning. "__Not Sesshoumaru. His brother, the second-born, Inuyasha."_

Marudashi looked back at her sharply. "Inuyasha? That foul-mouthed half-breed?" She blinked in astonishment as Meisai nodded, then looked away, shaking her head. "No. No, you must be mistaken. He's dead."

"Not anymore, Mistress," Meisai countered. "He lives again, brought back into the world of the living by the Child's own hand."

"'Brought back'..? He was reborn then?"

Meisai shook her head, trying not to glare at her queen. "Resurrected. You know of his death at the hands of the miko Kikyou thirty-five years before the Child's birth. The Child is thought by many to be the reincarnation of Kikyou – who died the same day as Inuyasha – mainly because he awakened when she neared him, drawing his soul back into his body and then releasing him from the miko's entrapment spell."

Marudashi nodded thoughtfully, her finger still tapping against her lips. "'Sleep a' fifty, then by thy love awake,'" she mused, repeating the familiar line to herself. It had never made sense before, as many of the lines of prophesy regarding the half-demon didn't, but now it was all too clear. She scowled and slammed a fist down on the armrest of her throne. "Damn it all! I hate it when things go according to plan! Especially when it's not _my plan they're going by!" she grumped, hatred for the old prophesies springing anew. She continued to seethe for a moment, before drawing a long breath and regaining her composure. "No matter. He won't cause problems for us. And if he tries to, simply squash him like the bug he is."_

"Mistress," Meisai began uncertainly. "He _did kill Gisou. And it seems without much trouble either."_

Marudashi snorted. "Gisou was a fool. We're almost better off without that brainless idiot," she said with a flip of her shoulder-length black hair, ignoring the way Meisai's face darkened at the comment. "However," she said, looking pointedly at the younger girl kneeling before her, "I did _not overlook the fact that you returned without the Child. Perhaps seeking vengeance for your brother's death will inspire you to work __harder." She smiled sweetly down at Meisai, who was staring determinedly at her reflection in the polished marble floor and visibly shaking from carefully contained rage. "Now go," she said, her smile fading. Meisai nodded and climbed to her feet, making her way back to the reception hall. _

"And remember, Meisai: I don't want to see you back here unless you have the Child!" Marudashi called after her, the threat sugar-coated, yet still holding the same deadly promise.

Meisai grimaced to herself and stepped back through the portal, traveling away from the palace and back through the stream of time to medieval Japan.

***

"Hey, has anyone seen Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, stepping into the hut where the others sat eating their evening meal. He looked around, saw that the future girl was not present, and with a soft huff, exited again. Where was that girl? He glared at passersby, stalking down the street and out toward his forest.

"Inuyasha!" The dog-demon stopped at the sound of his name and turned to see Miroku jogging after him.

"Nani?" he asked, sounding annoyed, as the other man skidded to a stop beside him and paused to catch his breath.

"I… think I have… seen Kagome-sama…" Miroku panted.

"What? Where?" Inuyasha turned to face him fully, his interest piqued. 

"Over near the rice fields," the monk replied, finally getting his breathing back under control. Inuyasha didn't even bother thanking him as he started hurrying in that direction. Miroku caught the dog-demon's arm as he passed, and Inuyasha paused to glare at him.

"What?" he asked, sounding really irritable now. 

"You haven't asked her yet, have you?" Miroku said quietly, making more of a statement than a question. 

Inuyasha was immediately uncertain and contrite. He looked at the ground, scuffling his feet nervously. "N-no… Not yet," he mumbled.

"You do plan on going through with it, don't you?" Miroku prodded, craning his head slightly to catch the other man's eyes.

"O-of course!" Inuyasha looked up sharply, angry that Miroku would even hint that he wasn't going to ask Kagome. "It's just," he continued, looking away again, once more unsure. "What if… What if she says no..?" He chewed his lip, finding his feet amazingly interesting, before a sudden thought came to him and he looked back up, looking absolutely terrified. "What if she says _yes?!" he yelped, grabbing the monk's arms._

Miroku blinked, then laughed outright. "If she says yes, you'll be one of the luckiest men in the whole world!" he laughed, wrapping an arm around the hanyou's shoulders and steering him back towards the village. Inuyasha glared at the laughing monk and shrugged his arm off his shoulders. Miroku grinned at him, "You know, you've really got nothing to worry about."

Inuyasha sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know… It's just… I don't know if I'm ready for this. I mean, marriage…" His sigh was edged with a hint of a growl this time. "I don't even know if she feels the same way I do."

Miroku glanced at him, giving him an odd look, but didn't comment. After a moment, he said slowly, "Well, there is one sure way to find out." He nodded toward the village and Inuyasha followed his gaze to the rice fields that lay beyond. "Go to her," Miroku urged quietly, watching the dog-demon's profile.

Inuyasha nodded once and took off to go find his future bride.

***

Kagome looked up from watching the sunset, a sound in the brush around her catching her attention. A moment later Inuyasha stepped out of the foliage, and Kagome relaxed, glad that it was only him.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said softly, padding over to her.

"H-hai, Inuyasha?" There was something about the way he said her name, the way he was looking at her, that made her nervous…

Inuyasha sat down cross-legged on the grass near her, not meeting her inquiring gaze. "There was, um, something I wanted to… to talk to you about…" He stared down at the soft grass in front of him. What was he supposed to do? Should he just blurt out that he wanted to marry her? Should he try to be eloquent and debonair, like Miroku? Should he ask her to marry him first, then give her the ring? The ring first, then ask her? Should he pull out the ring while he was asking her? He glared down at the grass, a bit peeved that it was not helping his situation at all.

"Inuyasha?"

He looked back up, meeting Kagome's curious blue gaze.

"Are you alright?" she asked, tilting her head cutely.

"Uh…" he replied intelligently. _Say something, idiot! "Um, actually, I wanted to ask you, um…" he stammered, looking away and blushing slightly._

"Yes?" Kagome prodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

He was going to ask her. Now. He'd do it right now. Inuyasha took a deep breath, looked up into her face, and…

…his mind went blank.

"Uh…" he searched around with his eyes, looking for something – _anything – to say. His gaze landed on something sitting in the girl's lap. "What's that?" he blurted, his mouth moving faster than his brain._

Kagome blinked. "What..? Oh! This!" She held up the paper envelope a bit sheepishly. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about this for a while. It's a letter from my mom."

Inuyasha stared at the letter. There was something written on the front. His reading skills were definitely not the best, and he peered at the paper, trying to remember where he'd seen those characters before. 

Hi…

He was vaguely aware that Kagome had continued talking, and that she was saying something about a man being at her house.

Gu…

The man had introduced himself as "Jikkou," and he'd given her the news about her family.

Higu…

He'd said he was some sort of manager.

Ra…

That he'd been in charge of their money and property.

Higura…

He'd delivered the letter to her after telling her what happened.

Shi…

Higurashi.

"Higurashi..?" Inuyasha said quietly. He blinked and sat back in surprise. Higurashi?

"What?" Kagome asked, pausing in her story.

"Higurashi," Inuyasha repeated. The rest of the characters came easier, being simple hiragana. "Higurashi…Kagome…"

Kagome blinked, feeling slightly confused. "Eh..?" She noticed where he was looking and smiled in understanding. "Oh! Yes, Higurashi. Higurashi Kagome. That's my name," she smiled.

Inuyasha didn't return the smile. His eyes slid from the envelope up to her face. "You're a Higurashi?" he asked, his voice deathly quiet. 

Kagome drew back slightly. "Inuyasha..?" she asked uncertainly. He was looking at her like he'd been betrayed or something…

"Higurashi… Your name's Higurashi?" he asked again urgently, as though dreading the answer he was asking for. Kagome nodded mutely, confused and a little frightened by this sudden change. He seemed so angry all of a sudden, so intense… Inuyasha closed his eyes as if in pain, swallowed audibly, then stood without another word. He began marching away, avoiding her eyes the entire time.

"Inuyasha, wait!" Kagome cried, standing and following after him. He paused, but did not turn around to face her. "Wasn't… Wasn't there something you wanted to ask me about?" she asked. Why had he gotten so upset all of a sudden..? 

"There _was," Inuyasha replied, his voice barely more than a growl._

Kagome took a hopeful step toward him. "Then… Don't you still want to talk about it?"

The dog-demon seemed to be holding his breath, as if he were considering something. "No," he growled after a moment. "Just forget about it." And he sprinted away in a flash of red and white.

"Inuyasha!" she yelled after him, but he was already gone. Kagome's shoulders sagged and she felt tears well up in her eyes. Why was he so angry at her? She looked back at the western horizon, a tear slipping down her cheek, reflecting the red light of the sunset. She curled up on the ground and cried, feeling confused and alone.

***

Inuyasha pulled his arm back to make another swing at the tree he'd chosen to vent his anger and frustration. Why?! Why, why, WHY?! Why did she have to be a fucking Higurashi?! He swung at the tree, taking a significant chunk out of the trunk with his claws. Another slash made the tree start to sway, and a wild roundhouse kick sent it toppling over. The wooden giant hit the ground with a sickening crack, taking down several smaller trees with it. Inuyasha didn't even pause in his violent tirade, moving deeper into the forest and lashing out at everything around him. 

When he couldn't even think straight enough to hit anything, he settled for simply screaming every profanity and curse he had ever heard. Finally, even that required too much thought, and he fell silent, just breathing heavily through clenched teeth. He glanced around at his surroundings, noting that he was deep into the forest, probably several miles from the village. He flopped down on a fallen log, resting his elbows on his knees and holding his head in his hands.

_Why? He thought again. Why did things like this always happen to him? "Damnit…" he growled, "I was about to ask her to marry me and everything…" He squeezed his eyes shut, a pin-point headache starting in the center of his forehead._

"M-my Lord..?" a tiny, hesitant voice asked from his shoulder.

"Myouga," Inuyasha said, acknowledging the flea-youkai.

"My Lord, what has upset you so? Has something happened?" the tiny demon asked, bouncing over to the dog-demon's knee so he could see his master's face.

Inuyasha chuckled bitterly. "Oh, yeah, something's happened alright." He let out a long breath, tilting his head back to look up at the intertwining branches above him. "Y'know, Myouga-jiji, sometimes I think the Fates are laughing at me. You know I've been meaning to ask Kagome to be my wife for some time now, right?" he asked, looking back down at his retainer. Myouga nodded, and he continued. "I decided I was going to ask her today. I was this close, Myouga! This close!" he said, holding up his thumb and first finger, barely a few millimeters apart. 

"But..?" the old youkai prompted, fearing he already knew the cause of his master's rage. "She did not refuse you, did she?"

The dog-demon chuckled again. "No, no… That probably wouldn't have been nearly as bad… Or it would have been worse, depending on how you look at it… Did you know Kagome was a Higurashi?" he asked abruptly, suddenly serious again.

Myouga nearly fell of his knee. "W-what?" he asked, placing one tiny hand on his chest. He was getting too old for shocks like this!

"Kagome is of the Higurashi clan," Inuyasha said, leaning back on his elbows and grinning like the cat that got the cream. His grin wilted though, when he looked down at the flea. "Did you know?"

"I had no idea…" Myouga answered honestly. His mind was racing, piecing together shards of information into something that actually made sense. It couldn't be… "My Lord," he said, looking back up at the young dog-demon, and sounding very business-like. "Do you remember the agreement made between your Lord Father and Lord Higurashi? The pact they both signed to stop the fighting between their people?" 

Inuyasha snorted in disgust, but nodded. "I'm supposed to marry the first girl born to the Higurashi line." Something clicked in his head, something he'd read long ago finally surfacing in his memory. "The 'Daughter of the Sunset.'" At Myouga's nod, he began to protest. "Wait a minute! Are you trying to tell me that Kagome, who's from like four _hundred years in the future, is supposedly the __first girl born since the treaty was signed?! I knew that family had a hard time producing daughters, but this is just ridiculous!"_

"Well…" Myouga said folding his two lower arms, while one upper arm scratched his round head. "Lady Kagome may have grown up in the future, but I believe she may actually from _this time."_

"What?!" Inuyasha demanded, snatching up his little advisor and holding him in front of his face.

"Sixteen years ago, a child was born to the Higurashi royal family! A _girl child!" Myouga gasped, struggling in his master's crushing grip._

"So? What's that got to do with Kagome?" Inuyasha growled, slightly tightening his hold on the flea.

"The child… was named… Kagome…" 

Inuyasha released him, watching the tiny youkai flutter to the ground with wide eyes. "W-what are you saying..? It's gotta be a coincidence… She couldn't possibly…" Inuyasha mumbled, his words and thoughts tumbling over each other.

"The young Hime was kidnapped when she was barely a week old," Myouga continued, re-inflating himself. "She was brought all the way here, to Musashi's domain, before the samurai sent by Lord Higurashi caught the ninja carrying her. They shot him, right off his horse, and the babe slipped from his arms just as he passed an old dried well. The samurai feared she had been killed when no cries came, but when they looked down into the well, the princess was gone."

"She fell down the Bone-Eater's Well," Inuyasha said in disbelief.

Myouga nodded. "And was then no doubt found on the other side and taken in by the people there. They raised her, and she lived there, but when the time came, she was drawn back here, to her real home."

As crazy as it sounded, what the old bug was saying made sense to Inuyasha. But something was bothering him, something didn't quite fit. "Why was she kidnapped in the first place?" he asked, peering down at the flea.

"She was a princess, the Higurashis' only daughter," Myouga shrugged. "It could have been for ransom, blackmail, an attempt to start another war… Any number of reasons." He silently hoped that would satisfy his Lord's curiosity.

"Hmm…" Inuyasha leaned back again, scowling up at the roof of the forest. "Kagome… does she know about any of this?" he asked after a moment, not moving his eyes from the tree tops.

"I'm… not sure. I doubt it though. It's not as if she's had any contact with her family in this era."

"Hm," Inuyasha said again. He looked around the forest, just noticing how dark it had gotten. _I should get back to the village, he thought, listening to the sounds of night creatures coming out to inhabit his forest. He stood and started back the way he had come, following the scent trail he'd left on his way out, Myouga hopping obediently along behind him._

** ** ** ** **

Woohoooooo!!!!!!!! Done!!! Finally DONE!!!!!! Well, with this chapter, at least. ^-^; Sorry to just leave off there (yeah, I know, this chapter doesn't have the best ending in the world), but if I kept writing, it would have just gotten longer and longer and longer and then this thing never would have gotten posted and… yeah. 

Also, about Kagome and when she "curled up on the ground and cried, feeling confused and alone." Chocho-imouto-chan said it sounded sort of sappy or like Kagome was a big crybaby or something, so I wanted to say something about that. First off, we all know Kagome's no crybaby. But it's been two months, three tops, since her family was killed. During the first month, she was like a zombie, a living dead person. She was depressed, she didn't care about her life, she would have just wasted away …if Inuyasha hadn't been taking care of her. I'm serious, go read Ch. 3 again. Inuyasha watched over her, made sure she ate, and brought her back to the village each evening to sleep. He was like a sort of "life-line" for Kagome, although his efforts only seemed to pay off after he saved her from that first Kurotsune attack (who, in case you didn't catch it, was Gisou, the person Meisai and Marudashi were talking about.) That event shocked Kagome out of her mega-depression, but then she became sort of emotionally dependant on Inuyasha, like as long as he was happy life was good. *scratches head* I guess the best way to show what I mean is to direct you to Teresa's "Love To Hate You," which is about Kouga/Kagura, and is an awesome fic, even for die-hard Inu/Kag fans like myself. ^-^ I guess Kagura is a good example of what I'm trying to describe here, although Kagome's case of centering on one person isn't quite as bad, since she's got the others and all the villagers around her, but her world still sort of revolves around Inuyasha. So, when she thinks he's mad at _her (by the way, don't worry, Inu-chan's not __that dense. He's not actually mad at her, but just really pissed at the situation in general), she just closes up again, and basically regresses back to where she was a month or two ago. So… yeah. You get it._

Eeew.. the notes are almost as long as the fic this time…

Review please!!

**Glossary:**

Hai – yes

hanyou – half-demon (Inu-chan!! ^-^)

Hime – princess, nobleman's daughter

Hiragana – the simplest of the three Japanese alphabets (Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana), which is the firm used for writing Kagome's name

-jiji – rude way of saying "old man" or "geezer"

miko – Shinto priestess/shrine girl

nani? – "What?"

-sama – honorific name suffix, used to show respect or a distant relationship

youkai – demon, monster, etc…


	5. Foxes and Fathers

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 5

Standard disclaimers still apply; I own nothing but the plot and the Kurotsune.

Does anyone think Inuyasha is a little OOC in this chapter? I'm not sure.. tell me at the end of you think so…

** ** ** ** **

Putt, putt…

Sango sat, staring into the fire, deep in thought. She was not necessarily a violent person, save for exterminating youkai and hentai priests, but right now she sincerely wanted to hit someone.

Putt, putt…

She had been sharpening her katana earlier, but now she merely held the heavy whetstone, lightly slapping it against the palm of her left hand as she watched the glowing embers in the fire pit slowly die down. Miroku was hunched against the far wall, asleep, his staff leaned in the crook of his arm, the metal rings trembling as he breathed. Shippou was curled up next to Kagome's head as the girl lay sleeping under a warm blanket behind Sango. Even now, small sniffles came from both the girl and kitsune.

Putt, putt…

They had found Kagome curled up on the ground on a hill overlooking the rice fields. Inuyasha had supposedly gone to talk to her earlier, but when they'd found Kagome, there had been no sign of the dog-demon. Sango glared at the fire. They must have had a pretty bog argument. And, knowing Inuyasha, he'd probably said something stupid.

Putt, putt…

They'd gotten Kagome up, and the girl had allowed them to lead her back to Kaede's hut. But she wouldn't talk, wouldn't eat. It was like she'd gone back to the way she was when Inuyasha had first brought her back from her time several months ago. All she did was curl up on the futon they'd laid out for her and cry. 

Putt, putt…

_What could that idiot have said to her to make her regress this far? Sango asked herself angrily. She knew Inuyasha had come a long way since she'd known him, and he just might be ready to finally tell Kagome how he felt about her, but he could still be such a jerk at times that she just wanted to hit him! Okay, so lately he'd been pretty decent, but this was just too much! Making Kagome cry, then just leaving her out there on her own, and after all she'd been through in the last few months..!_

Putt— 

Sango slammed the whetstone down on the floor angrily, her hands shaking with the need to hurt a certain half-dog-demon. She needed to stop thinking about it and relax, she told herself. After all, the group had unanimously agreed to confront Inuyasha about it as soon as they could find him, so there was really no point in her staying up all night and wearing herself out worrying about it. With a heavy sigh, she rose and padded over to her futon, pausing only momentarily to pull the blanket back over Kagome and Shippou. The demon-huntress lay down, her eyes fixed on the last few remaining sparks in the fire pit. Her eyelids eventually grew too heavy to keep open, and she slowly let them drift closed.

The curtain door didn't so much as rustle as Inuyasha crept into the hut, stealthy and silent as only one with demon blood could be. He'd been sitting casually on the porch, seeming to simply be enjoying the warm night to any who may have looked, but in reality he'd been waiting for Sango to go to sleep. He could tell she was angry, and he knew it probably had something to do with Kagome and the 'talk' they'd had earlier. He could handle facing an angry woman once in a while, but an angry _demon huntress was another matter entirely…_

He'd come to a decision as he'd returned to the village. He knew what he had to do, and he _was going to through with it, but first he wanted to apologize and say goodbye to Kagome. Inuyasha crawled along the floor, walking on his fingers and toes, placing each limb carefully and slowly so as to avoid any squeaky boards. At last he was beside her. _

He considered waking her, but then decided against it, remembering something his mother had once told him: "It's easier to talk to someone you love when they're asleep, because you can tell them whatever you need to, and they'll listen, even if they don't realize it." His heart clenched momentarily at the memory of her soft voice, but he brushed it aside, concentrating on the matter at hand. 

"Kagome…" he began in a bare whisper. He wasn't sure what to say… He'd stormed off, sure that his chance at a life with the woman he loved more than anything had just been completely shot to hell, and she didn't have any idea what it was about. What was he supposed to say to apologize for that? Well, might as well go with the good old-fashioned way… "I'm sorry," he whispered. The girl mumbled and curled onto her side, and Inuyasha couldn't help smiling as he gently tucked a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. Kami, he loved her… "I have to go now," he whispered, tracing her jaw line with a careful finger. "But I'll be back soon, I promise." Kagome shifted again, and he caressed her cheek, then turned and began silently making his way back to the door.

"Inuyasha..?"

The dog-demon froze at the small voice behind him. He turned around to find Kagome staring up at him with large eyes. He sighed and padded back over to her as she sat up. They sat in silence, until Kagome looked up at him again, speaking hesitantly, "A-are you leaving?"

He nodded.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, looking back at the floor.

Inuyasha looked at her quickly. "No— Kagome, it has nothing to do with you!" he lied. It probably wouldn't help the situation at all for her to know his leaving was _because of her…_

She looked up at him unsurely. "So… So you're not mad at me?"

"No. I'm not." He shook his head.

"But I thought… 'cause you ran off earlier… I thought… I thought you hated me!" Kagome sniffled, and a tear escaped down her cheek before she could wipe it away.

Inuyasha gulped and reached out to catch the droplet with a claw halfway down her face. Even after caring for the girl for the past couple of months, he still couldn't stand seeing her cry. "I'm not mad at you, and I definitely don't hate you," he reassured her again. "I was just… surprised, I guess." Kagome nodded, not smiling, but no longer looking like her world was about to come to an end, either. "There are some people I need to talk to," he continued steadily. When Kagome started to sniffle again, he hurriedly added, "but I'll be back soon!"

The girl looked up at him, gave one last sniffle, and asked in a small voice, "Promise?"

"Yeah," Inuyasha sighed, "I promise."

Kagome gave him a weak smile. "Okay…"

Pause. "And while I'm gone," Inuyasha said, narrowing his eyes at her and leaning forward 'til their noses almost touched. "You better be _happy. No more of this moping around and being depressed, ya got it?" Kagome nodded mutely, a full-fledged smile lighting up her face as she tried not to giggle. "Alright," Inuyasha said with mock-gruffness, hiding his own grin. They stared at each other, both suddenly aware of their close proximity. He quickly sat back on his haunches, blushing and looking around the hut for a moment. "I guess I should get going, then…"_

"Yeah…" Kagome agreed half-heartedly. He said he'd come back, promised even… but… she still didn't want him to go…

"Um.. Kagome?"

"Hm?" She looked up at him, and Inuyasha summoned all his courage, leaned forward, and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. 

The next instant he was up and out the door like a shot, the curtain billowing up as he rushed past. Kagome stared after him, her mouth hanging open slightly, before she slowly touched her lips with one shaky hand. He'd kissed her… Inuyasha had kissed her… She lay back down on the futon, staring at the ceiling in wonder, the thought echoing through her head like a mantra as she continued to trace her lips. 

_…He kissed me… _

***

Inuyasha didn't stop running 'til he was past the fence at the edge of town. He skidded around to a stop and looked back at the silent village, relieved that no angry mob had followed him or that he wasn't struck by lightning after what he just did. He tilted his head back, grinning up at the stars. He'd wanted to do that for a long time, to kiss her. He let out a long, contented – okay, smug – sigh, but then felt a prick on his cheek, pulling him back to the present. He smacked the flea youkai away absently and watched as Myouga re-inflated himself in his palm. 

"So, where are you off to in such a hurry, my Lord?" the old demon asked, hopping up to the dog-demon's shoulder, completely unfazed that he had once again nearly been banished to the second dimension. 

Looking back at the village one more time, Inuyasha turned and began walking at a steady pace. His mouth curved into a slightly grim smile. "West. I need to have a little chat with old Higurashi-san…" The stars mirrored his smirk as he dropped to all fours and broke into a run.

Two reflective points of light, looking very much like tiny twin stars, watched the dog-demon from the safety of the thick forest underbrush. Meisai grinned and looked toward the village. With the inu-youkai gone, this would almost be too easy…

***

The sun rose and another day began in a small, almost insignificant village in Musashi's domain…

"Ne, Kagome-chan," Sango began, watching her friend from across the fire in Kaede's main room. 

"Nani?"

"Are you… sure you're okay?"

Kagome nodded and continued eating her breakfast. 

"I mean, you're not worried about Inuyasha just disappearing like this?"

"No." The future girl shook her head and set down her chopsticks. _Think happy, she reminded herself and looked up into her friends' faces. "Inuyasha and I talked about it last night. He just needs to go talk to some people, and then he'll be right back," she said, smiling reassuringly at them._

Sango and Miroku exchanged glances, but said nothing more on the matter. 

***

"It's almost disturbing," Miroku said quietly, leaning against the side of the house to watch Kagome playing with Shippou.

"What is?" Kaede asked, not looking up from the herbs she and Sango were preparing. 

"Kagome… She's like a child…"

The old miko glanced up at him. "Though she has often shown wisdom and power beyond her years, you must not forget that Kagome _is in reality barely more than a child."_

"That's not what I meant," Miroku replied, shaking his head. "Did you hear her at the morning meal? She has complete trust in Inuyasha and that he will return to her."

"What, you think he won't?" Sango asked, looking up at the monk.

"No, it's just…" Miroku's eyes wandered back to the girl in question. "She was so upset after their fight yesterday, but now it's like nothing happened. She's not even worried that Inuyasha just up and left in the middle of the night."

"Well, they _did talk before he went," Sango said, also turning to watch the two youngest members of their group. _

"Hm. I wonder, what was the cause of their argument?" Kaede said, thinking aloud. 

"Indeed… Perhaps only time will tell," Miroku agreed gravely.

"Excuse me…"

The three adults on the porch looked up to see a scrawny young woman wearing a tattered kimono wobble towards them. "Have you… any water… you can spare..?" she asked, licking parched lips.

"Of course. This way," Kaede climbed slowly to her feet, looking the woman up and down in surprise, and leading her over to the barrel of water caught from the early autumn rains. "Here, drink as much you like," she said, watching as the younger woman practically dove at the barrel, cupping her hands full of water and slurping it up greedily. 

"A-arigatou…" she said weakly after a few minutes of drinking, leaning forward with her hands still on the rim of the barrel.

"Iya, it is no trouble," Kaede soothed, looking the girl over with concerned eyes. "Come, child, come inside… We'll get you some food and some clean clothes to wear. Come along," she gently guided the woman back around to the porch and into the hut, the others coming to trail behind them. 

"Sango," Kaede looked at the exterminator as she helped the girl to sit down by the fire pit. "Bring Kagome here; ask her if it's alright to lend this poor girl one of her robes." Sango nodded and disappeared outside again. Kaede knelt by the fire, picking up a bowl and beginning to fill it with the ever-cooking stew. "Have you a name, child?"

She nodded, gingerly taking the steaming bowl and chopsticks offered to her, "I am called Miyamoto Meisai." Kaede nodded and glanced up when Sango and Kagome came back in, Shippou clinging to the young miko's shoulder.

"Eh, Kaede-sama…" Kagome began, her gaze shifting from the older woman to Meisai and her tattered clothes. "Uh, hai. Of course she can wear some of my clothes."

"Thank you, Kagome-chan. Could you show her where they are?"

Kagome nodded and smiled down at the other girl. "Come on," she said. Meisai nodded and slowly climbed to her feet to follow her into one of the back rooms. It seemed to be a sort of laundry center, with several empty wash basins stacked up and a basket or two of clean clothes to be folded. Kagome bent and pawed through some of the clothes, looking for something suitable for the other woman.

"Are you her apprentice?" Meisai asked innocently, walking up beside Kagome.

"Hm?"

"The old miko out there. Is she training you to be a priestess?"

Kagome straightened, holding up a blue and green yukata. "Not really. I mean I suppose I could be her apprentice, but I'm not really that interested in becoming a priestess…" She handed the yukata and sash to the other girl.

"Oh? Then what do you want to do?" she asked as Kagome made her way back to the door of the room.

Kagome paused in the doorway. "I'm… not really sure. I guess I wouldn't mind getting married in the future, y'know, have a family," she said with a small smile, remembering Inuyasha's kiss last night. She shrugged then. "But right now, I really just don't know."

She nodded, her eyes holding something thoughtful that Kagome couldn't quite make out, but she just shrugged to herself and turned back to the doorway. "I'll let you get dressed now," she said, closing the door behind her.

Meisai let out a long breath, letting her guise slip a fraction so that her tail shimmered into view, coming to curl comfortingly around her legs. Two miko, a priest, a demon-exterminator, and another fox… this was taking more effort than she'd thought…__

***

"So, tell us, what brought you to our village in such a poor state?" Kaede asked Meisai when she was once again seated by the fire, now dressed in the robe Kagome had lent her.

The woman sighed and set down her bowl and chopsticks, preparing to tell her tale. "It began a month or so ago, I suppose," she intoned, closing her eyes as if to remember. "My lord father was a nobleman. We were traveling to our daimyo's palace to offer me to be a wife for the young master. However, while we were on the road, our party was over-taken by brigands. They ambushed us. They killed all the guards, stole our horses and carriages. A few managed to run and escape, myself included. To my knowledge, I am the only remaining survivor of my house."

Only Shippou noticed how Kagome stared at the floor, her eyes saddened. He rubbed her arm with his tiny paw, trying to comfort her.

"What of your household?" Miroku asked, frowning. "Had you no place to return to?"

The girl's face darkened for just a moment, her eyes narrowing ever-so-slightly. _Damn, I hadn't thought of that.. "My lord father had taken our entire household to accompany us on our journey, hoping to appear great and rich before our daimyo, and leaving only a precious few remaining to protect our home," she replied, speaking slowly as if remembering pained her. "However, when they heard of our demise, the servants fled. I returned there, but without protection, the house had been ransacked, all possessions of any value stolen and anything else destroyed beyond repair."_

"And so you fell to wandering, and found your way here," Kaede concluded, nodding sagely as she stirred the fire, making the wood crackle and shoot off a large cloud of embers.

"Hai…" She looked at the floor, her bowl and chopsticks held limply. 

"Well, you may stay here as long as you like," the old miko continued, reaching to offer her a refill of stew, which was gratefully accepted. She smiled dryly then, "We already have an odd assortment living here, as you can see," her gaze trailed over the taiji-ya, houshi, kitsune child, and miko, "I'm sure one more addition will be no trouble."

Meisai looked down at her food in front of her on the floor. "Thank you so much," she sniffled as a few tears formed in her eyes.  

***

He skidded to a stop at the crest of a hill, the mist beginning to swirl around him. He gazed down into the valley. It was just as he remembered it, steep, grassy hills, everything obscured by the perpetual fog, casting the entire area into a twilight-like glow… 

…like at sunset. 

Squaring his shoulders, Inuyasha continued down into the mists, to a place he had not seen in ages. 

The castle seemed to materialize out of the fog near the bottom of the valley. It was a huge, sprawling estate, worthy of an emperor. Inuyasha tried to suppress the growl that rose up in his throat. He'd hated these people all his life as he grew up, and now was no different.

The guards at the main gate immediately snapped to attention when they saw him coming, their hands tensing on the spears they held, no doubt readying themselves to use those spears against him. Inuyasha sneered and continued toward them at a light jog.

"Ho there, demon! What business have you at the home of the great Higurashi?!" one of the sentries boomed.

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted as he slowed to a stop. He was about to reply when Myouga hopped out of his mane of hair and spoke up.

"Allow me, my lord." He turned to the humans, his voice taking on an uncharacteristic authority. "Inform your master that the Lord Inuyasha of the Shiro-Inu clan has arrived and demands an audience with the Lord Higurashi!"

The guards exchanged nervous glances, before one of them dropped his spear and took off running into the compound, seeming to suddenly take up heraldry. The other looked at Inuyasha, "I-if you'll come this way, m'lord…"

Inuyasha blinked, then smirked, and followed the guard inside.

*** 

"My lord! My lord!"

Higurashi looked up from his council only moments before the doors burst open and a guard ran in, panting. "My lord!" the man gasped, dropping to one knee before him.

"What is it?" he demanded, handing the documents he'd been studying off to an advisor.

"Coming – now – Shiro-Inu..!" the guard panted. A collective gasp spread through the court and a wave of murmurs rose to an almost deafening level.

"Silence!" Higurashi bellowed, rising to his feet. The crowd immediately fell quiet. "What is this news of a Shiro-Inu coming here?" he glared down at the guard, who seemed to have caught his breath by now.

"I was on sentry duty at the main gate," the man explained, "when a man with long white hair and canine ears came to the gate. His servant said that he was Lord Inuyasha of the Shiro-Inu, and he demands an audience, my Lord!"

Higurashi sucked in a sharp breath. "Inuyasha..? Here?!"

"Glad to see you remember me, bastard," a voice called from the general vicinity of the doors at the far end of the room.

** ** ** ** **

Well, I was gonna put more into this chapter, but that actually seems like a pretty good place to stop, plus if I do more on this it is gonna be BUTT long, not to mention the fact that I haven't updated in, like, a billion years, so y'all better appreciate this ^_^ Next time, Inuyasha 'discusses' the situation with Lord Higurashi, but now, I'm kinda doubting that he'll make it back to the village by next chapter.. o.O this thing is growing before my eyes…

Also, this same subject keeps coming up: how did Inuyasha get a ring, and how does he know that rings symbolize marriage? Yes, yes, I KNOW they didn't have diamond rings in feudal Japan, and I KNOW they didn't use rings for marriage! Jeez, people, do you really think I'd leave a plot hole THAT big??

…Okay, so maybe I would, but not that particular one!! Let me just say that it ISN'T a hole, there is a logical explanation to this, but since HOW he got the ring doesn't add much to the plot (or I guess I could tweak it so it did, if that'll make you people happy), I haven't really included it in the fic.. yet.. Hm, maybe I should write a side-story/prequel about Inuyasha's adventures trying to find a suitable way to ask Kagome to stay with him.... Feel free to leave a note in a review or email/IM me about this if you have any questions or comments. ^_^

Please review!!

**Glossary:**

**arigatou – thank you******

**-chan – name suffix to show endearment or a close relationship; also used for children even without a close relationship**

**daimyo – ruler, governor; above magistrate, but below Shogun**

**hai - yes**

**hentai – pervert, perverted**

**houshi – low-ranking/wandering Buddhist priest**

**inu - dog**

**iya – no**

**kami – traditional nature-spirit/god (like the snake dude and the goddess in Books 10 & 11); also 'kami-sama' meaning 'God'**

**katana – traditional Japanese sword; Tetsusaiga, Tenseiga, and the sword that Sango uses are all katana**

**kimono – traditional Japanese garb; more intricate and formal than a yukata often with many layers (like what Inuyasha's mother wears)**

**kitsune – fox; used to mean 'fox-demon,' like Shippou-chan**

**miko – Shinto priestess/Shrine maiden (like Kikyou, Kaede, and even Kagome)**

**Miyamoto – I don't have a translation for this name, but I just wanted to say that it comes from one of my favorite manga, _Usagi Yojimbo! ^__^ and Meisai needed a last name to make her story believable, so… *shrug*_**

**nani – what?**

**-sama – name suffix used to show great respect or a distant relationship**

**-san – name suffix to show respect or a formal relationship**

**taiji-ya – this actually just means 'exterminator,' but Sango and her village specifically exterminated youkai, so it's usually translated as 'demon-exterminator'**

**youkai – demon**

**yukata – a light-weight robe, usually made out of cotton with some kind of simple pattern on it (like what Sango wears)**


	6. Discussions

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 6

O. This has got to be some kind of record for me…

Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi, blah blah blah, you know the drill!

Wow! I can't believe the response to the last chapter! ^_^ Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews! (Kaa-chan: thanx for the note on Kaede; I've only seen the first four episodes in Japanese – everything else has been either Viz books or Cartoon Network dubbed episodes.. so I didn't really know how she talked ^^; Thanx!)

Merry Christmas, everyone! Consider this my gift to you all. ^__^

** ** ** ** **

The entire court seemed to lurch away from him, before the guard next to him, obviously offended, spluttered, "You cannot speak to his lordship in such a way!" 

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes and started up toward the dais where the lord stood. He was a strong-looking man, though not particularly tall, his head just beginning to bald as he was slowly passing into old age. Icy blue eyes glared at the half-demon as he approached, completely uncowed by the demonic presence. 

Inuyasha didn't stop moving forward until he was right in the other man's face, their gazes clashing angrily as they stared each other down. "Genshi," he finally growled.

"Inuyasha," Higurashi Genshi replied, doing a rather good human impression of the dog-demon's growl.

"We need to talk," Inuyasha said curtly, still glaring at the human.

Genshi's face darkened. "What about? You have no business here."

"Oh yeah?" Inuyasha challenged. "I heard you had a daughter some sixteen years ago."

The entire room went completely still, and Genshi's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his face went cold again and he calmly sat back down on the dais.

"You are mistaken. I have no daughter," he said, shifting his kimono as he sat.

Inuyasha growled. "I'm not 'mistaken,' you bastard. I know you had a daughter–"

"Yes, I _had a daughter," Genshi cut him off sharply, "but she was killed in infancy."_

At this, Inuyasha smirked, "Now, see, you're the one who's got it wrong…" Genshi looked up at him, confused. Inuyasha jerked his head toward the inner part of the castle, his face turning grim. Genshi nodded and stood, frowning at him, and they made their way away from the court, the lord's personal guard trailing after them.

***

"What is it you wish to speak of?" Genshi asked, once in a more private room where they could talk. "You implied that my daughter is still alive."

Inuyasha grinned across at the other man. "Tell me, Genshi, what was your daughter's name and how did she 'die'?" _Let's see if the flea was right.._

Higurashi watched him suspiciously. He really hated this damn half-breed… "She was called Kagome. And the tale of her death is a long one…"

"She was kidnapped as a baby, your flunkies caught up with the guy carrying her away, shot him, but at the same time supposedly killed the baby, too, because she fell down a well," he ticked the major points off on his fingers, satisfied when Genshi looked absolutely livid at the shortened tale. "Doesn't seem so long to me," he smirked.

"Yes, that is how she died," Genshi replied icily, his eyes narrowed at the dog-demon, his tone as scathing as possible. He arched one fine eyebrow. "How does that concern you?"

Inuyasha leaned back on his hands, grinning at Higurashi smugly. "Let me tell you a little story," he began. "It starts about a year ago… about fifty years since I last saw you…"

"Fifty years ago we heard of your demise at the hands of a miko, and thought our family's dignity might be saved. Alas, it seems it was too good to be true," Genshi glowered at him.

Inuyasha growled. "Yeah, well, a miko _did pin me to a tree and put me to __sleep for 50 years. But about a year ago, a fifteen-year-old girl came around and woke me up. A girl named Kagome."_

Genshi regarded him coldly. "What you imply is ludicrous and impossible, and I do not wish to waste any more of my time listening to the babblings of some flea-bitten mutt–" He began to stand to leave.

"Sit. Down." Inuyasha growled, his ears laid back, his eyes glinting dangerously. Genshi did so, though he continued to glare at the white-haired young man. "This may be hard to understand, but I'll be sure to dumb it down for you as much as possible," he growled, then began again. "The well she fell into had some kind of portal in it that took her to…" –_I can't say time, that'd be way too much to explain– "…to another world. People found her there and raised her, and then when she was fifteen, she fell in the well again and was brought back here."_

Higurashi seemed to be considering this suspiciously. "I have heard of such things before, though never of anyone passing through to another world… All this time, she's been alive? All her life, raised in a different world…"

"Well actually, for the last year she's been with me," Inuyasha interjected causally.

Genshi's eyes suddenly snapped up to his, looking absolutely outraged. "You… You fiend!!" he roared, suddenly leaping to his feet to tower over Inuyasha. "That even _you would sink this low, to… to turn a lady, a daughter of a noble house, into a __whore!!"_

Quick as lightning, Inuyasha was on his feet as well and had pummeled the older man hard in the jaw, with enough force to knock him flat on the floor. Around the room, the guards tensed, looking ready to leap into action to defend their lord at his signal. Instead, though, Higurashi just sat up, bracing his arms behind him, and glowered up at the dog-demon with unadulterated hatred.

"If you ever say anything like about Kagome again, I swear I'll rip your throat out before you can even finish the sentence!" Inuyasha snarled down at him. 

Higurashi matched him glare for glare. "She is my daughter. She _must be returned to me!"_

"Keh," Inuyasha folded his arms angrily. "Frankly, I don't give a fuck whose daughter she is, 'cept that now I know I don't have to worry about your fucking treaty coming in and screwing things up once you or your descendants spit out a daughter."

Genshi's eyes flashed. "You–" he began, but Inuyasha had already turned and sprinted away. He slammed a fist into the floor next to him. "Dispatch a force to follow him!" he barked to his head guard. "I want her brought back here, completely unharmed!" 

"What of the half-breed?" the guard asked, pausing.

"If he gets in the way, kill him. If not, I'd rather not loose any good soldiers to his claws."

The man nodded once before taking off down the hallway to do his master's bidding. 

Genshi continued to kneel on the tatami floors, his hands clenched in fists as he remembered… Remembered how, as just a young boy, he had had to watch his father bow to the will of that… that monster… that _demon! He had watched his family be shamed, and he had sworn that he would not let it be! Their honor would be regained, and so long as he lived they would __never give up a daughter to that abomination!_

*** 

Meanwhile, as soon he was back outside the castle, Inuyasha slowed and stopped. He reached to the sky, stretching his arms and back and letting out an exhilarated breath. That had felt so good! In the rather brief time in his childhood that he'd known Genshi – before his mother had died, before he'd fallen to wandering – he'd learned to hate the older boy for all the taunts and jeering he'd brought upon him. It was an amazing feeling to finally have something to hold over that bastard's head.

He smirked to himself and took off at an easy lope up and out of the valley.

"That went well, m'lord," Myouga commented as he settled himself more securely in the dog-demon's mane.

Inuyasha nodded in agreement, grinning again. _And it's just going to get better when I get back to the village…_

Distracted as he was by his thoughts of the girl waiting for him back home, he didn't notice the small band that left through the main gates of the castle behind him and began to follow his trail.

***

"No, Shippou – like _this."_

The young kitsune watched Kagome's fingers deftly manipulate the bright red string, forming a neat criss-cross pattern between her two hands. 

"Now stick you hand through the hole in the middle," Kagome instructed, smiling as he dubiously obeyed. "And – volia!" she pulled her hands apart, the string coming off her fingers to hang around Shippou's wrist in a slack ring. 

"How do you keep doing that?!" Shippou wondered aloud, fingering the string. "It was all tied up a second ago!"

Kagome laughed softly as he inspected the string, as if trying to see some kind of magic to it. "Here, hold out your hands and I'll help you," she offered, taking the string back and beginning to thread it through his splayed little fingers.

"Kagome," a voice said behind her, and Kagome looked up to find Meisai standing over her, wearing another of the yukatas she'd lent her. 

Kagome smiled up at her. "Yes?"

"I was wondering if you could… help me with something out in the forest," Meisai said, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her sleeve.

"Sure. Shippou-chan, why don't you go show Sango and Miroku what you can do with that string, ne?" she said, standing up next to the other girl. The kitsune cub looked crestfallen for just a moment, but then happily skipped off to go find their other companions. He vaguely heard Kagome and Meisai talk briefly, and then they walked away into the trees.

"Miroku, Sango, Kaede-baachan! Look what Kagome showed me how to do!" he said, proudly holding up the string wrapped around his fingers.

"That's, uh, very nice, Shippou-chan," Sango said politely, not quite sure what to make of it. Miroku and Kaede echoed her sentiments.

"That's not all!" Shippou was practically bouncing with excitement at being able to show off like this. "Here here here – Miroku, put your hand in through the middle and I'll show you the trick Kagome taught me!" Miroku just smiled and obliged, Shippou stretching the string out wider so that the hole was big enough for the monk's hand. "And – volaa!" the child cried, imitating Kagome, and tugged his hands apart sharply. The string, however, still being attached to his fingers, did not come apart to hang around Miroku wrist, but simply tightened. 

Sango raised an eyebrow. "Is that what it's supposed to do?"

"No…" Shippou murmured, dismayed. He tugged on the string a few more times, tightening it more, and Miroku was about to suggest trying this 'trick' again later when a new voice entered the conversation.

"You gotta pull your fingers out for it to work, twerp." Shippou leaned way back to see Inuyasha looking down at him. "Kagome showed me that one already," the dog-demon said, a hint of amusement in his voice as Shippou tugged on the strings once more, this time slipping his fingers out and freeing the monk's hand. Miroku quickly pulled his hand back , rubbing the wrist.

"You're back!" Shippou squealed, spinning around to race up the older demon's side and plant himself on his shoulder. "Where'd you go?!"

"Had to talk to someone," Inuyasha shrugged, and couldn't suppress a smug grin.

Shippou folded his little arms and frowned at him. "That's what Kagome said you said! Where'd you _really go?!" he demanded._

"I _really had to talk to someone," Inuyasha said, seeming to be in a strangely good mood. He brushed Shippou off his shoulder and looked at the rest of the hut's inhabitants. "Speaking of Kagome, where is she?" he asked, one clawed hand nervously resting on Tetsusaiga's hilt._

The three humans shrugged and shook their heads, but Shippou spoke up again. "She went into the forest with—" but he didn't get to finish as Inuyasha was already out the door and following the girl's scent into the trees.

Sango's eyes widened slightly with realization as they watched him go. "My gosh – he's going to ask her!"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Miroku replied, levering himself up to his feet with his shakujou. "Come – this is not something I want to miss." He moved toward the door, but Sango paused a moment.

"Kaede-san, are you coming?" she asked, looking down at the still-seated miko.

Kaede waved them on, shaking her head, "I am needed here… Just bring me news of it afterwards."

Sango smiled and nodded, and followed Miroku and Shippou out into the forest.

***

Meisai walked quickly, almost impatiently, and Kagome had to hurry to keep up. "I saw something out here that I wanted to ask you about…"

"What?" Kagome asked, brushing a low-hanging branch out of her way. It was a good thing she knew this trail so well or she'd probably be tripping over every other rock and tree root, at the pace they were going…

"That." Meisai stopped at the edge of the clearing, pointing at the small wooden structure in its center.

Kagome's breath caught. "The Bone-Eater's well…" She suddenly felt rather nervous. What could Meisai want to know about that? Most people here either didn't know or didn't understand that the well was a portal to the future. Plus the fact that the well brought up some unpleasant memories that she just didn't really want to think about at the moment…

"Yes, the well." Meisai went to sit on the edge, facing Kagome. "Tell me, what do you know about it?"

"Wh-what do you mean?" Kagome stammered. She wanted to bolt, to run away… to be anywhere but here..!

_Come on, girl. Let's just get this over with already… "There's some kind of magic in it," Meisai stood and approached her. "You know—"_

"Kagome!"

Kagome barely had time to turn around before Inuyasha came bursting out of the forest to skid to a stop right in front of her. "Here you are! I—" He broke off as he looked around the clearing. "I could have sworn I smelled a youkai here…" He looked around, but it was just the two of them. "Weird…"

Kagome looked around at the clearing as well. "Meisai was here a minute ago," she offered, "You must have startled her when you came running in here like that. Meisai! Where are you?" she called, hoping that the other girl hadn't run too far.

"Kagome, who's Meisai?" Inuyasha frowned, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

"She's a girl I met the other day. She just kinda showed up in the village and she's staying with us now," Kagome replied, making her way over to the far side of the clearing to look.

"Okay… Then she probably just went back there. Look, Kagome, I wanted to talk to you about something…" he began, fiddling with Tetsusaiga again.

"Mmhm?"

He fidgeted some more. She wasn't even looking at him… "It's kind of important…"

"Okay," Kagome came back over from the edge of the trees. "I guess she must've doubled back to the village, like you said," she said absently, coming to stand by him. Finally, she gave him all her attention, smiling up at him. "So, what's the matter?"

"Uh, nothing's 'the matter,' it's just, um…" He suddenly dropped down to one knee, trying to remember all that he'd been told he should do.

"Inuyasha?!" Kagome cried, coming to kneel in front of him. "What's wrong?!"

Inuyasha frowned at her, "Nothing's wrong, wench! Stand up!"

Kagome did so, slowly, watching him with an odd look. "Inuyasha, what are you..?"

"Just listen, okay?" he growled, and took a deep breath. "Kagome, I want…"

Sango, Miroku, and Shippou chose that moment to burst into the clearing, yelling, "We're not too late, are we?!" and nearly making the couple jump out of their skins.

"Too late for what?" Kagome asked, one hand going over her racing heart, while Inuyasha got to his feet and advanced menacingly on the new arrivals.

"What are you bastards doing?!" he yelled. "Go away!"

"But we want to watch," Shippou said from Miroku's shoulder as if that should have been obvious.

Inuyasha just seemed to bristle all the more. He was about to yell at them again, when a booming voice rose from somewhere in the trees around them.

"Release the princess, demon!" the voice ordered, and the tips of many arrows were suddenly visible around the edge of the clearing, completely surrounding the small company.

"What the hell..?" Inuyasha muttered, straightening and looking around, his eyes narrowing.

"By order of his lordship Higurashi Genshi, release his daughter the princess!" the voice bellowed again.

"Higurashi?" Kagome gasped, sparing a glance at Inuyasha.

_Oh, shit… Inuyasha thought. __Genshi, you bastard!! He must've had his men follow me! He growled threateningly and drew Tetsusaiga, crouching slightly into a defensive position. There was no way he was giving up without a fight—_

"Inuyasha, you two go through the well!" Miroku barked. "It sounds like they're after you and Kagome-sama. Go!"

He faltered. He didn't want to just run away from a fight like this. "But…"

"We'll be fine!" Sango hissed, pulling a few small blades out of the sleeves of her yukata. "Just go!"

He growled one more time, before jamming his sword back in its scabbard and reaching out to grab Kagome around the waist. "Halt!!" the soldier's voice roared, before it faded away as they were swallowed by the darkness at the bottom of the well.

***

"Meisai!"

Meisai jumped and spun around. Marudashi stood over her, looking none too happy. "You're back… and I don't see the Child with you." She frowned dangerously and began to move forward.

"I-I had to!" Meisai stammered. "The white dog came back and… he would have found me! I had to leave!"

Marudashi stopped just in front of her crouched figure, nodding vaguely. Suddenly, her hand flew out, catching Meisai in the throat to hold her dangling in the air. "You should be able to do better than this," she snarled, her eyes flashing.

"But… the dog…" Meisai gasped, tugging vainly at her hand.

Marudashi growled and threw her down to the floor again. "Foolish weakling! The dog is not your concern! Whether he discovers you or not does not matter! Once you bring the Child here he won't be able to reach her!"

She stood fuming over the younger fox for a moment before regaining her composure. "Now go. And Meisai, this is you _last chance," Marudashi stepped back as Meisai nodded and jumped up to hurry back through the portal._

"And don't worry," Marudashi murmured to herself after Meisai had gone. "I'll take care of Inuyasha."

** ** ** ** **

Again, I think Inuyasha might have been a little OOC at the beginning. Just remember that he and Lord Higurashi _really hate each other, and so he was basically going 'ha ha, I have your daughter and there's nothing you can do about it' and rubbing it in his face. Heh, too bad Higurashi __did decide to do something about it… I gotta say, though, it is unbelievably fun writing he and Inuyasha, especially their fight near the beginning ^_^_

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays to you all! It would be a wonderful gift to me if you pushed that little blue button in the left corner – yeah, that one – and reviewed!! It's the number one thing on my Christmas list, I swear! ^__^

**Glossary**

**tatami – woven mats used as floor coverings indoors, usually made of reeds or grass (?)**

**shakujou – Miroku's staff thing ..I'm not sure of I spelled this right, so if it's wrong, please tell me!**

I figure everyone knows the rest of the Japanese terms by now, so there's only a few for once ^_^

Review please!!


	7. Future Arrangements

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 7

All standard disclaimers still apply.. I have no claim whatsoever to _Inuyasha_ and am not making money off this.

It's so unfair.. Our other computer died. Just like that. It was barely even a year old, and it just had a brain fart and went belly-up on us. And, of course, that was the computer with all my writing on it. Yes, the almost-finished chapters of 'Forget Me Nots,' TAA, 'A Child,' etc. Luckily, I had most (if not all) of them printed out on paper, so here I am, retyping this entire thing. -_- grr, stupid computer..

Anyway, on a happier note – major fluff in this chapter!! ^__^ Plus it's an extra-long one, to make up for the long wait ^_~ 

Enjoy!

** ** ** ** **

Kagome sat up, coughing and dusting herself off after they hit the bottom of the well. She looked around dazedly. It was so quiet here compared to the other side…

She froze, her head snapping back to stare up at the wooden ceiling visible through the opening at the top of the well.

"C'mon, Kagome" Inuyasha sighed from beside her, standing and pulling her up with him. 

"Why.." She choked on her words, but tried again. "Why are we… here..?" Her eyes came down to stare at him instead, a look of horror on her face. 

"We had to get away from those samurai," Inuyasha said carefully, feeling his hackles rise as she started to get closer and closer to tears. She was almost hyperventilating as she looked again up at the well-shrine above them. "Come on, we have to get out of here. There's no point just sitting in the bottom of the well…" he said finally, squeezing her hands in what he hoped would be a comforting gesture. 

"I… I don't want to," Kagome shook her head, closing her eyes tight as a little moisture gathered in the corners. "I can't… I can't! I can't go out there! I can't, Inuyasha, I can't!"

"Kagome! Calm down!" Inuyasha commanded, more than a little worried by her hysterics. He shook her shoulders, more roughly perhaps than he had meant to, but it had the desired effect nonetheless and she quieted and looked up at him watery eyes. "It's ok," he soothed, gently squeezing her shoulders, "I'll be right here with you, I promise."

"But… But…"

"Shh," Inuyasha hugged her, muffling her protests in his chest. Kagome just closed her eyes and fisted her hands in his haori, not saying anything as she felt his legs tense before he leapt up, carrying them both out of the well. 

She pulled away slightly when they touched down in the well-house, keeping her gaze on her hands on his chest rather than looking around at the familiar wooden building. "Inuyasha…" she said softly, "Please… I just want to go home…"

Inuyasha shook his head, one hand coming up to cover her smaller one. As much as he liked hearing her call their time 'home'… "We can't go back yet. There's no telling how long those samurai will hang around."

Kagome frowned but nodded. Finally she looked up from their joined hands resting on his chest, eager for something to take her mind off their surroundings. "Why are you so worried about it?" she asked, looking up into his face. "From their auras I would think they were all human… they wouldn't have been a problem for you."

Inuyasha swallowed and looked away. "It's, uh… I just didn't want to deal with them right now, okay?"

Kagome gave his a quizzical look as he dropped her hand and turned away. She followed automatically after him as he climbed up the short staircase to the door. As he was just beginning to open the door, she spoke again, sounding almost like she was talking to herself. "They said they were sent by a Lord Higurashi." She saw his shoulders tense, his hands clenching on the wooden door frame. "And they said something about a princess. Do you know what they were talking about?" She watched him slowly drop his hands from the door, his back tense and taught.

"No-" He stopped and sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. There was really no point in keeping the truth from her. "Yeah," he said at last. "Come on, we've got a lot to talk about…"

***

"Halt!!" the captain burst out of the trees, unsheathing his sword as he went. He ran straight to the well, completely ignoring the three still standing in the middle of the clearing as he peered down at the bottom. He swore under his breath. "They're gone - this must be the magic well, then." He turned sharply, pointing into the trees at one of the archers surrounding them. "You! Drop your bow and get out here!" One of the arrows disappeared form sight and a young armored soldier emerged from the brush. "Jump in," the captain ordered, indicating the well with his helmeted head as he sheathed his sword. 

The soldier gave him a confused look. "Sir?"

"Jump in. As soon as you're in the other world, grab the princess as get back here. Now go!"

Sango and Miroku exchanged dubious looks as the soldier bowed to his superior and did as he was told. To their knowledge, only Kagome and Inuyasha could pass through the well…

"Sir?" The soldier's voice came up from the bottom of the well and the captain looked down over the edge at him.

"What are you doing?" he barked. "You're supposed to go to the other world!"

"Sir, there's no way through. It's just an ordinary well."

The captain looked like he was about to blow up at the man, when Miroku spoke up from behind him. "My Lord," he called, getting the man's attention. He gave a short, polite bow when he looked around at him. "I'm afraid there is no way for you to pass through this well."

The samurai rounded on him, glaring, his hand already going to the hilt of his sword. "And what do you know of this, monk? I saw that blasted demon leap in there with the hime-sama, and now they're gone! And you say there's no way to get through?"

Miroku nodded, his polite smile somewhat forced, and shifted his weight, gripping his staff a little firmer. "Yes, _they_ can travel to the other side, but no one else. It's just the way the magic of the well works."

The captain glowered at him a moment, before straightening with an air of ruffled superiority. "Fine then. If we cannot get through, then we'll just have to wait for them to come to us. You will house us in your village," he said sternly to Miroku, then to his soldiers, "Move out!" Sango began to sputter angrily as a dozen or so samurai emerged from the trees and began making their way toward the village, their commander leading the way. Miroku put a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Leave it be, Sango. There is nothing we can do about it, for now," he said soothingly. He looked down at Shippou, standing between them on the ground. "Why don't you run ahead to warn Kaede-sama of their approach, ne?" The kit nodded and bounded off into the brush. 

"And stay out of sight!" Sango called after him, muttering, "I don't think these samurai would be very nice to any youkai they caught.."

***

"Kagome!"

They had just emerged from the well house when they were mobbed by a flock of teenage girls. "What the h-?" was all Inuyasha managed to get out before the girls surrounded Kagome and pushed him away to the far edges of their group. He watched in a strange kind of awe as they squealed and laughed happily, the three closest to her hugging her tightly.

"Where have you been all this time? We've been so worried!" one girl cried, grabbing at her arms.

"Yuka… Eri… Ayumi…" Kagome said dazedly. She couldn't believe it… She was really here with her friends! She thought she'd never see them again, but now..!

"When you disappeared after.. y'know.. we thought, maybe, you had also…" Yuka left it hanging, not needing nor wanting to finish the thought.

"Oh, Yuka-chan," Kagome gasped, her eyes filling with tears. It had been so long since she'd seen them! She hugged them, and the four of them laughed and cried together while the rest looked on happily.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. Women.

He looked away, crossing his arms irritably, and tried to ignore the prickling on the back of his at the sight of Kagome's tears. She was just happy to finally see her friends again, after all. _Hmph. She's never that happy to see me,_ he grumbled, before his conscience kicked in with a little reminder. There had been that one time when he'd tried to seal her in her own ti- in the future. She'd been crying as she hugged him after she'd managed to make it back through the well. Not to mention all the times she'd cried for him when he'd been hurt or even nearly killed in battle…

He laid his ears back at a particularly shrill squeal from the girls, growling under his breath. They were acting like she'd died or something for cryin' out loud… He winced at his own thoughts as his eyes fell on the house, now standing empty and unused. Right, he still had to talk to Kagome about the whole 'family' thing. _Not to mention…_

He reached inside his haori and gingerly removed the small velvet box, holding it hidden in the palm of his hand. As soon as these girls left, he'd have Kagome alone, and then… He allowed himself a small smile, his eyes softening as his gaze trailed over her, surrounded by her friends and smiling joyously. Then, she'd be all his.

A low, barely audible creaking sound reached his ears then. His gaze snapped down to stare alarmed at the box in his hand. With an almost comical little 'bing,' the top snapped up and open on its own. Dismayed, he clapped it closed again. As soon as he let go, however, the straining noise came again, and the top popped up a second later. "Shit…" he muttered, again closing the box. The clasp must've broken sometime when they were fighting that black sphynx thing, or when he'd gone to see Higurashi… He scowled. Of course, all he could offer Kagome was a broken box and a ring for a custom he didn't even understand and so would probably screw up half-way through. What did she expect from a worthless half-breed? Quickly, trying to push such thoughts from his mind, he tucked the box back into his haori, the heavy folds of fabric keeping it pressed closed.

He was just sliding down the wall of the well house to sit dejectedly at its base when a demanding, feminine voice cut through his thoughts. 

"Who are you?"

Inuyasha blinked and looked up to find that one of the girls on the outer edge of the group had finally noticed him and the rest had now fallen silent, all staring down at him. "Um…" He could feel his face reddening as he tried to come up with a suitable answer.

Kagome, however, got there first, pulling away from her friends to come stand by him. "Minna," she smiled, pulling him to his feet again, "this is my good friend Inuyasha. I've been staying with him and some other friends out of town for the last couple months." She smiled widely at them all and Inuyasha couldn't help feeling a bit impressed by her quick explanation. Kagome's three friends marched over, their faces set determinedly, and pulled her off to the side in a tight little cluster.

"You've been _staying_ with him?" Ayumi hissed.

Kagome's face immediately flamed. "Not like _that!_" she gasped.

"Like what, Kagome?" Yuka asked, smiling slyly. "Funny how your mind immediately jumped to that…"

"Stop it, you guys. Get you minds out of the gutter, we're just friends." She didn't see Inuyasha frown behind her. He could, after all, hear them just fine. Just friends, huh? Not for long…

"Wait, wait, wait! Is this that violent two-timer you were always talking about?" Eri cut in. Inuyasha blinked and started to puff up indignantly. "I can't believe you're giving him another chance!"

"It's not like that!" Kagome whispered heatedly, shaking her head. "He's not a two-timer anymore. And besides, we were never really a couple anyway…" she added softly, looking down at the ground. Her friends blinked several times, then all started talking at once.

"You mean you're _not_ going out with him?" Yuka asked, finally managing to be heard over the other two. 

Kagome nodded. "We're just friends," she repeated.

"But you like him, don't you?" Ayumi whispered.

Kagome blushed, but couldn't help nodding once.

"But he's not interested?" Yuka asked, sounding grim. 

"Well, I don't think… Not like that, anyway…" _Although he did kiss me… But I still shouldn't just assume… I mean, it was just a kiss…_ She felt her heart sink a little at the thought. It had been her _first_ kiss, from the only boy she ever really wanted to kiss her. But maybe, to Inuyasha, a kiss _was_ just a kiss and it didn't really mean anything…

"So you're not a couple?" Yuka asked after a long moment of silence, folding her arms and frowning. When Kagome remained silent, she shook her head in exasperation. "Look, Kagome, you can do two things: try to get his attention or just forget about him-"

"And go out with Hojo!" Ayumi piped up, her eyes already going starry. "You two make such a cute couple! You should have seen him while you were gone - he was so worried and kept coming to look for you. It's love for sure!"

Kagome jerked her head up to stare at her friend in near-horror, then heard a rather loud growling coming from behind them as Inuyasha apparently decided that enough was enough.

"Oi!" he yelled, stomping up to them and grabbing Kagome's arm. "Kagome and I have a lot to talk about, so you lot can just piss off and leave us alone!"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed, yanking her arm out of his grasp. "Don't be rude!"

"You're telling me not to be rude! They're the ones talking about me and trying to get you to go to that hobo guy!" he snapped back, glaring furiously.

"It's Hojo!" Kagome yelled, stamping her foot. "And besides, I'm not going out with him, so stop acting like some jealous, immature kid and grow up!" 

Inuyasha opened his mouth to retort with his usual 'I'm not jealous!' line, but then closed it with a snap, seeing as he _was_ jealous. Hell, he'd be ready to rip apart any guy who so much as _looked_ at her! Of course he was jealous!

Kagome continued to glare, awaiting his usual response, but then blinked and slowly let her face relax into a look of bemusement when he remained silent. "Inuyasha?" she asked hesitantly. He wasn't going to fight with her? He wasn't even denying her 'jealous' remark..

"Let's just go," Inuyasha ground out, clenching his fists tightly. He knew they were all expecting a full out battle over this, but that would just have to wait 'til later after they'd talked. Call him a kid, would she? He tried no to growl as he spoke, "We need to talk. Now."

Kagome sighed but nodded, giving in. "Alright," she turned to address her friends, smiling apologetically. "Gomen, minna, but Inuyasha's right, we really do need to talk.. privately." 

Inuyasha went to sit by the well house again, waiting semi-patiently as all the girls moved forward to one by one hug Kagome, tell her how glad they were to see her (alive), bid their farewells, and finally move out of the shrine and down to the street below.

"Sorry about that," Kagome said, walking back over to Inuyasha after she had finished waving off all of her departing friends. He just 'Keh'ed and looked away. Kagome smiled and came to sit next to him, leaning back against the door if the well shrine, "I guess I didn't really realize how much I missed them," she said softly, folding her arms over her legs and looking up at the huge Go Shinboku standing over them.

Inuyasha snorted again. "You never miss _me_ that much," he said sulkily. Then he slammed his jaws shut as he realized that, yes, he _had_ just said that out loud.

Beside him, Kagome blinked and turned her head to regard him with a rather neutral expression. He just stared at his lap, refusing to meet her gaze, his face matching the color of his kimono, the muscles in his jaw jumping with the tension. She looked down at her knees, drawn up to her chest, her fingers tracing random designs on the ground beside her. "Who says I don't miss you?" she asked softly, without looking up at him. She felt Inuyasha tense even more, if that were possible. "If anything, when I leave, I miss you most of all." Almost unconsciously, she leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder.

Inuyasha was having a hard time breathing now, and he was suddenly very aware of the feel of the velvet box lying against his chest. "I.. I miss you too," he said tightly. Change one little word, and there wa what he really wanted to say right then. He just didn't know if he could do it..

"We should probably go inside, it's getting late," Kagome said after a few moments, smiling shyly at him and starting to get up. Alarms went off in Inuyasha's head as she pulled away, something inside him screaming not to let her go. He lurched forward onto his knees, grappling for Kagome's hand before she could get away.

Kagome turned to look back at him in mild alarm at the sudden tug on her hand. He stared up at her with his mouth hanging open a little, a look of almost horror or fear on his face. "Inuyasha? What is it?" she asked tentatively, frowning a little as she turned to face him completely. She glanced around them quickly, wary that he might have sensed some danger nearby.

Inuyasha swallowed hard and looked down, his thumb rubbing absently against the skin of her small hand. "Just… I just wanted to ask you… If… um…" He fumbled with his haori, finally managing to grab the velvet box. It was now or never! "Iwantyoutomarryme!" he blurted, keeping his eyes shut tight and shoving the box out between them. After a tense moment or two, the top of the box popped open, revealing the glittering ring within.

Kagome held his hand almost painfully tight, as if it were her only hold on reality. She could've sworn he'd said… but she must've misheard… he couldn't possibly… but the ring… but he _couldn't_ mean..!

Almost with a will of its own, her hand came up to haltingly reach for the ring. Her index finger traced over it, taking in the gentle curves of the gold band, the precise cuts of the diamond. Where on earth had he gotten something so perfect..?

Inuyasha hazarded a peek when he heard what sounded unmistakably like a sniffle. He half-relaxed. She hadn't gotten angry or offended, which had definitely been one of his greatest fears about asking her. Theirs was a very special friendship, built through over a year and a half of shared blood, tears, and hardship. An unfortunate accident of fate had tied them together; their stubbornness and seemingly incompatible personalities had given them conflict, something more interesting to do than watch the road pass beneath their feet; countless battles, trials, friends, and foes had hardened their resolve and their loyalty to one another; all in all, it was a pretty set-in-stone relationship. Nothing could ever possibly change what they had.

Except maybe this.

And that, in a nut-shell, was what he feared: one of them, himself in this case, would seek to pursue a deeper relationship, but the other, Kagome, would not want anything more than the strong yet simple friendship they already had. He would never be able to face her again, knowing that she knew of his feelings for her and yet did not return them. He'd come a long way from the suspicious, tough boy he'd been – tried to be – before he'd met Kagome, but knowing somebody knew such a deep, intimate fact about him was more than a little awkward.. Not to mention how it must make Kagome feel to know that was how he thought of her…

And he just sat there, watching Kagome stare at the ring, waiting for her to explode, or to try to come up with some excuse, some pathetic way to let him down easy when he'd just taken his heart out and laid it at her feet. Only she didn't…

…No, instead she started _crying._

So, naturally, he panicked.

***

Jikkou arrived at the bottom of the Shrine stairs, his face as stoic as ever. They were back, at last, so they could begin to set things in motion now. Soon enough, he'd have the girl right where they needed her. Allowing himself only the briefest of grim smiles, he mounted the steps and began making his way up the long marble staircase.

He heard voices ahead of him as he neared the top, both growing louder and angrier by the instant. He frowned when he was able to recognize them. 

"Why the hell are you crying?! You're not supposed to be _sad!_"

"I _not_ sad!"

"Then why in the fucking hells are you crying?!"

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are!!"

"Then it's because I'm happy!"

"Happy?! People don't just burst into tears when they're _happy!_"

"You're such an idiot! You don't understand anything!"

"I understand stuff just fine! You just don't make any sense!"

Jikkou crested the top of the staircase to find the two youths faced off across the courtyard, screaming at each other at the top of their lungs. He quirked an eyebrow, already not liking this argument. They continued on, however, his presence going unnoticed.

"It makes perfect sense, you dolt! You just asked me to marry you, so _of course_ I'm going to be happy!"

"Then WHY DID YOU START CRYING?!!"

"I was crying _because_ I was happy! It's not that difficult a concept!" Before he could reply again, Kagome let out a frustrated growl and whirled to stomp away toward the house. "Oh, and since you're _so_ interested in knowing," she threw over her shoulder, "my answer is YES!"

Inuyasha had opened his mouth to yell back, but suddenly all that came out was a funny little squeak. "Y-yes?" he stammered, his anger instantly disappearing like a wisp of smoke. Then, he just looked confused. "Yes what?"

Kagome threw her hands up, just short of screaming her frustration to the heavens, while behind her, Inuyasha's face slowly lit with understanding. He blinked, let out a surprised, "Oh!" and bounded after her as she stalked away. 

"Kagome, wait–" he cried, reaching for her arm.

Jikkou cleared his throat loudly just before they touched, snapping their attention over to him. They both blushed brightly, Kagome looking embarrassed and mortified that he had witnessed all that, while Inuyasha glared suspiciously at the intruder. He stepped in front of Kagome protectively, a low, menacing growl already building in his chest. There was something about this guy that he just didn't like..

"Who the hell are you?" he demanded harshly, ignoring Kagome's reproachful, "Inuyasha!" from behind him.

Jikkou just raised an eyebrow at him coolly, his face changing from expressionless to slight annoyance. "I am here to see Miss Higurashi. I have no business with you, dog," with that he looked straight at Kagome, effectively ignoring the sputtering half-demon between them. "I am glad to see that you are well. I believe I have some good news for you," he said, shifting his weight and gesturing for them to move to the house.

Kagome nodded but glanced nervously at the house. "Don't suppose we could talk out here?" she asked imploringly.

Inuyasha growled and stepped between them again. "How 'bout we don't talk at all?" he growled, then turned to advance on Jikkou. "I wanna know who the hell you are and why you think you can just come walking in here like it's your territory–"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome hissed, slapping his shoulder. "Stop being so rude! Jikkou-san works for my family! He's here to help!"

"Works for your family? What the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"It means, _dog_," Jikkou cut in coolly, "that I have important business to discuss with Miss Higurashi, which does_ not_ involve you in any way."

Kagome sighed as the two men continued to glare at each other, frowning at the derogatory name Jikkou kept calling Inuyasha. "Jikkou-san manages my family's money, Inuyasha," she said, still frowning at the businessman. "He was in charge of everything when they… died…" She dropped her gaze, the empty, lonely feeling returning. 

"Which is precisely what I have come to speak with you about," Jikkou said, straightening to his full height. "Now if we could, I would like to sit somewhere so that we can discuss the matter seriously."

Frowning curiously now, Kagome nodded and let him walk ahead of them to the house. Once Jikkou had turned his back to them, Kagome reached over and caught Inuyasha's hand in her own. He glanced at her in surprise and she gave him a small smile in return. He seemed to understand her anxiety of returning to her family's house and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they walked.

***

They sat in the living room, Kagome and Inuyasha sitting close together on one sofa and Jikkou sitting across from them. He gave the white-haired boy a disapproving glare as he set his brief case on the coffee table between them but didn't comment any more. He began, snapping his briefcase open and pulling out a few documents to refer to as he spoke, "I have good news, as I said, involving your inheritance."

"My inheritance?" Kagome asked, leaning forward. "I thought you said there wasn't anything left.."

Jikkou nodded, studying the papers in his hands. "Yes.. Your grandfather's money all went to debts, and Yuuko had little to give, anyway. It was not a substantial loss," he shrugged, looking up at her.

Kagome frowned. "But..?"

"But," Jikkou echoed, shuffling the files, "Keiichi left you everything."

Kagome's eyes widened. "Dad.. He left me..? Wait, what do you mean 'everything'?"

He held the papers out for her to see. She took them and her eyes widened further. Jikkou smiled slightly. "I mean _everything._"

Kagome ran her fingers down the paper in awe. It was a legal document, listing all of her father's worldly possessions, from money to the Shrine itself. And he had left it all to her. 

"He was quite wealthy, even when he and I first became friends." Jikkou met Kagome's startled gaze and smiled a little, "Yes, your dad and I were the best of friends. I was the only one he trusted his money with, among other things…" Kagome frowned and looked back down at the papers, getting an odd feeling from the look he gave her. Had Dad known about the well being a portal to the past? ..Did Jikkou know?

"What.. does this all mean?" Kagome asked slowly, thumbing through the papers. The list just seemed to go on and on and on.. "I mean, I just don't understand everything that's happening," she continued, putting a hand to her forehead. She slapped the paper files for emphasis, "This. You. The house – I mean, how is it in such good condition? It certainly doesn't _look_ like it's been standing empty for a few months!"

Jikkou smiled coolly at her distress/excitement. "Everything belongs to you now. Your grandfather gave the Shrine to Keiichi when he decided that he was getting too old to have to be responsible for it, and Keiichi put the Shrine in as part of your inheritance. Technically, it's been yours ever since he died. Yuuko and your grandpa were just temporarily holding it for you until you were old enough to take over. And, for the last few months," he added, "I have been doing the same. Keiichi named me the legal guardian should anything ever happen so that he, Yuuko, or his father could not take care of you and your brother." He paused, letting Kagome take it all in, before continuing. "As for the state of the house, I've had a cleaning squad coming in twice a week to keep the house and Shrine in order. Now that you've returned from your stay with your.. friends," he said, shooting a narrow look at Inuyasha, who scowled and growled softly, "I suppose that can be discontinued. I assume you will be living here?"

Kagome nodded a bit numbly, not really noticing how Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably beside her. "How come I've never met you before all this happened, if you were my dad's best friend?" she asked absently, slowly shuffling through the papers some more.

Jikkou shrugged. "Keiichi's father never liked me and I didn't know Yuuko very well, so after Keiichi died, it became a strictly business relationship. However, now that I'm your 'legal guardian,'" he added, his lips curving up a little at the term, seeing how the dog was already acting as her guardian, "you will be seeing quite a bit more of me." He chuckled as both youths looked up at him sharply, Kagome with a surprised and questioning look, and the dog with an almost murderous snarl. "No, I won't be coming to live with you, if that's what you're thinking," he said, and they both visibly relaxed. "However, since I am now your guardian, here is where you can reach me," he continued, leaning forward to hand her another sheaf of paper. Kagome glanced over it as he spoke, "My address, phone number, cell number, email, etc, etc, etc. I've already cleared your absences with your school and there's a compilation of the work you missed along with the books you'll need on the kitchen table. I think you're going to be quite busy with that," he said, turning a rather meaningful glare on Inuyasha, who just offered an obscene gesture and continued peering over Kagome's shoulder at the small stack of papers. Kagome absently slapped his hand down.

"Wow," was all she could think to say. Letting out a loud breath, she straightened the stack of papers in her lap and sat back to look at Jikkou evenly. "Well, this is.. a lot to take in, I guess."

Jikkou nodded sympathetically and stood slowly, bending to close and pick up his briefcase. "I understand. This is all very sudden.." He trailed off as he stepped toward the door. "I'm afraid I need to be going now, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"Alright.. But it's not like I'm going to be alone here," she smiled, tilting her head toward Inuyasha.

Jikkou's eyes narrowed. "Yes.. Of course," he said, his lip curling a little as he looked at the dog demon. Inuyasha bared his fangs, growling and glaring acidly. "Well," Jikkou cleared his throat and nodded curtly to Kagome, "Goodbye for now."

"Bye," Kagome called softly as he stepped out and closed the front door behind him. Once he was gone, Kagome relaxed back onto the sofa, letting out a long, tired breath. That guy always made her feel so uncomfortable, though she couldn't say why..

Inuyasha shifted beside her, head bent over the paper files Jikkou had given her, brows furrowed in concentration. She watched him expressionlessly for a few moments as he obviously struggled with the words on the page, before speaking softly, "It's just a list of all the stuff my dad left me, Inuyasha. It's not important."

He looked up at her, then quickly looked away. "Keh. Course it's not," he mumbled, folding his arms and closing his eyes in his classic 'I-don't-care-about-anything-or-anyone' pose. Kagome just sighed and sat back on the couch, also looking away. A gentle sort of silence settled around them.

"So.." Kagome said softly, breaking the silence. "About what you said earlier…"

"Yeah..?" Inuyasha asked warily, his voice equally low.

"I…" Kagome trailed off, shaking her head. Taking a deep breath, she turned to sit sideways on the couch, facing him. "You… You did mean it.. right?"

He nodded, staring back. "Yeah.."

"Really?" Kagome asked again, her voice hitching. "You – You're serious?"

"Baka," he frowned, "of course I'm serious! You think I would joke about something like thi-?" Suddenly Kagome's arms were around his neck, hugging him like she never wanted to let go. "Ka.. Kagome?" he asked softly, trembling hands resting lightly on her back, half-returning the embrace.

Then she started to cry. Again.

"Damnit, Kagome!" he growled, pulling away and holding her out at arm's length. "Would you quit crying already?!"

"I can't help it!" she protested, rubbing one eye with the knuckles of her fist. "I'm just so happy!" And then she was hugging him again.

Inuyasha growled half-heartedly and just leaned back on the couch cushions, wrapping his arms around her as well. All this crying.. _Keh! Woman.._ he thought resting his chin on the top of Kagome's head. But.. if it meant she was happy, then maybe he didn't really mind… Absently, he tilted his face down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead, before returning his chin to its previous resting place. As long as she was happy…

Kagome pulled back slowly to look up at his face in wonderment. He just blinked down at her, following as her gaze traveled over his face, before coming to rest on his mouth. One soft hand slowly rose, slim fingers reaching out to trace his lips. He let her, closing his eyes as she explored his face. And then Kagome leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, kissing him softly. Inuyasha sucked in a breath and immediately responded, kissing back strongly. He felt Kagome smile against his lips and she was grinning up at him when they had to break after a minute.

"Kagome.." he breathed, staring at her with his mouth still open a little.

She giggled and leaned up to give him another quick kiss on the lips. "Yeah?" she smiled.

He could only stare, stunned. "That was.. wow…"

Kagome giggled again and snuggled back into his chest. Suddenly she gasped and pulled back to stare down at him. "You're.. You're purring!!" she exclaimed, gaping down at him.

Inuyasha's face immediately flushed, and he folded his arms across his chest sulkily, trying to ignore her embarrassing discovery. "Am not.." he protested lamely.

"Yeah, you are," Kagome said, wiggling under his folded arms to rest her ear against his chest again. He was indeed purring, a deep, rumbling noise that seemed to vibrate from his torso to echo all through his chest and throat. She closed her eyes, smiling to herself. It was the first time she had heard it – been close enough to hear it – and she already loved it. The sound so perfectly suited him – rough and wild, yet gentle. Her Inuyasha. She smiled again.

"Ne, Inuyasha.." Kagome said suddenly, pulling away one more time to look at him expectantly. "Don't you have something to give me?" Inuyasha blinked a few times, before realizing what she meant.

"Right!" He fished around in his haori for a few moments, before triumphantly pulling out the little velvet box. "Okay.." he muttered to himself, climbing off the couch to kneel in front of her, trying to remember everything Souta had said he should do. This had to be absolutely perfect!

Just when he thought he had it right, Kagome made a face and grabbed his hands to pull him back up off his knees. "Oh, get up!" she said, tugging him up beside her. "It's so weird seeing you kneel like that.."

"Right.." he said nervously, sitting back on the couch next to her. After a moment or two he asked quietly, "So, now what?"

Kagome smiled at him, her knees curled up to her chest, showing her own excitement. "You're supposed to give me the ring."

"Okay…" He removed his thumb, which had been holding the top down, letting the box spring open on its own again. Kagome held out her left hand to him. He just stared.

Kagome smiled. She figured he didn't really know how to do the whole exchanging of rings; somebody must have helped him get the ring and instructed him on how to propose, but explained the rest. "This one," she said, wiggling her fourth finger up and down.

"Um.. 'kay…" Awkwardly, he levered the ring out of its tight little slot in the bottom of the box and lifted it toward Kagome's hand. "This one?" he clarified again, gently holding her hand and touching the finger she had indicated. Kagome nodded. Swallowing hard, Inuyasha gently slipped the golden band over the tip of her finger, sliding it all the way down 'til it fit snuggly but not too tightly. Kagome's breath began to hitch in her throat as he just held her hand in both of his, staring enchanted down at the glittering charm. He felt a lump forming in his throat. He looked up into Kagome's face and she grinned back at him, her eyes already beginning to glisten with tears.

"Don't you dare start crying again," he laughed softly, leaning forward to brush the moisture from her eyes. Kagome just laughed and turned her face into his touch, her eyes closing happily. Her hand came up to grip his, both laughing giddily now, so Inuyasha decided to switch from wiping to kissing her tears away. Kagome drew a soft breath and almost immediately moved her head to catch his lips with hers.

The kiss was slow and leisurely, if a bit awkward. They parted after a few seconds, staring at each other breathlessly. 

Inuyasha swallowed loudly. "Kagome…" She kissed him again, softly, before he could finish. His hands found her waist, strong arms holding her to him gently but firmly. After several more moments, she pulled back, only to snuggle her head under his chin, curling into his chest. She sighed softly, smiling happily. 

"Kagome.." Inuyasha whispered, stroking her hair with one hand. 

"I want to stay like this forever," she murmured, her small hands grasping his haori lightly.

He smiled, running his fingers through her soft tresses. "Me too. I…" he trailed off, staring up at the white speckled ceiling, now growing dark with evening shadows. "I…"

"I love you." 

His heart was suddenly in his throat. She sounded half asleep already, her words coming out in a little smiling sigh, but he knew she would never say anything like that, no matter how drowsy she might be, unless… Unless she really meant it.

"I love you too," he whispered, placing a light kiss on her temple and hugging her tight. Her arms momentarily tightened around his torso, showing she had heard him, even as her breathing deepened and evened out as she slowly fell asleep. Smiling gently down at her, he kissed the top of her head and climbed up from the couch, holding her cradled protectively against his chest. 

He couldn't hold back a triumphant smirk as he carried her upstairs to tuck her into bed. 

***

Meisai sighed as she sat out on the front porch of Kaede's hut, watching the world darken into night. _Stupid samurai, coming and messing things up._ She wanted to use that as an excuse to go home, but somehow she knew Marudashi would never buy that. _I almost had her, and everything.. But then that stupid dog-demon had to show up, plus Higurashi sent his men to screw with things! _She sighed again, half-growling, and slumped down against the wall in exasperation. _My life sucks.._

She looked up sharply as she was suddenly aware of a presence coming towards her. The man was tall, lean, his silver hair floating around him as he walked, his fine kimono billowing in the evening winds. Meisai paled, beginning to tremble in fright.

He stopped at the step up to the porch, glaring coldly at her through narrowed golden eyes. "You… What purpose has a kitsune here in a human village?" he asked softly.

"Ah, um…" Meisai could feel herself shaking all over. _He.. He knows!!_

He shook his head, his silver mane waving with the movement, and turned toward the hut once more. "This is the place where my brother resides, is it not?"

"Your.. your brother?" she asked. She knew what he was talking about, but her mouth just didn't want to form the words.

"Aa. I must speak with Inuyasha.. and his little wench," he murmured, stepping up onto the porch and over to the doorway, pushing aside the reed curtain. Sesshoumaru stopped dead just inside the doorway, the curtain falling forgotten back into place behind him, staring at the scene. Humans, a whole band of them, not just Inuyasha's usual crew, were filling the floor space of the elderly miko's house. His eyes narrowed dangerously. They were samurai, completely armed and ready, and they bore an emblem that he recognized all too well. 

Their leader stood, facing him warily. "What business have you here, demon?"

Sesshoumaru's eyes narrowed further, smoldering golden slits. "Perhaps I should ask that of you, warrior of Higurashi," he responded coolly. His face hardened, glaring coldly as he straightened to stand at his full height, an awesome, intimidating figure. "Come, we will return to your lord's estate," he ordered, turning, daring anyone to disagree with him. The samurai slowly rose at a signal from their captain and filed out onto the porch. Sesshoumaru paused before following them, looking back at Kaede, where she sat by the fire, stirring their evening meal in a pot over the fire. "Tell my brother that I must speak with him – it is rather important – and I will return shortly." 

"He is not here, Sesshoumaru," she answered, "nor Kagome. They had to escape through the Bone Eater's well when they were attacked by those warriors."

"I see," Sesshoumaru replied, before turning and making his way out of the hut to where Higurashi's soldiers were all climbing onto their horses, watching him somewhat fearfully. "Come, your lord has quite a bit of explaining to do," he said, the winds already beginning to swirl around him as he transformed for their journey.

** ** ** ** **

Finally.. Done..! Wahahaha!!!! XD

Heheh, Genshi's in trouble.. ^_^ Sesshoumaru is gonna give him the butt-kicking of his life ^__^ Anyway, hope you all like the unbelievably LONG Inu/Kag fluff scene. I had so much fun writing that! And of course, I must warn you, they may be _engaged_ now, but the road is anything but smooth ahead. Keep in mind Marudashi's little "I'll take care of Inuyasha" at the end of Ch 6 ^_~ 

Review please!! ^__^

Waha!! I live in the "warm" South (USA) and we're having a SNOW DAY TODAY!! ALL SCHOOL CANCELED!! YEAH!!! ^___^

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Aa – Yes (masculine – not used by females)

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Gomen – sorry

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Minna – everyone


	8. Doubt

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 8

I dun own nothin'…

This chapter: Plot!! Seriously! And plenty of fun Inu/Kag fluff stuff in the first half ^_~ ..And there's a small 

**LIME WARNING**

at the end of the chapter. *blushes and runs away to hide* If you don't care for that sort of thing, I'll give you a basic summary of what happened in the Author's Notes at the end, since that bit is necessary for the plot.. *still blushing* And omygosh this thing is LONG!!! 16 PAGES!!! JEEZ!! (that's instead of the usual 8 or so..)

** ** ** ** **

Kagome woke slowly to the sounds of birds chirping softly outside her window as morning sunlight stretched across the floor toward her place in the bed. She lay completely still for a while, not really fully awake yet, before glancing at the alarm clock on her nightstand.

_Ugh, waaay too early…_ she thought, and rolled over to get comfortable against the large warm mass beside her. Part of that warmth stretched out to circle her waist and lazily pull her a little closer to it. It took her a moment to register the loud, firm heartbeat that her ear was pressed against and the warm, strong arms holding her. When she did, though, Kagome was suddenly very much awake.

She could only stare in shock at the face resting on the pillow only inches from her own. His eyes were shut lightly, silvery bangs falling across his forehead to pool on the pillow beneath him, while his lips were parted ever-so-slightly to breathe in long, slumbering puffs. It was probably the most relaxed she had ever seen him, but then sleeping in her modern bed always tended to have that effect on him…

Sleeping… in… her… bed..?

Kagome yelped and tried to scramble away from the sleeping dog-demon and out of the bed, but her legs tangled in the blankets and she ended up falling over the edge onto the floor and taking nearly half the bed covers with her. Back on the bed, Inuyasha sat up and blinked down at her.

"Oi… What happened to you?" he asked, tilting his head to look mildly concerned.

Kagome growled and fisted her hands in the blankets pooled around her. "You jerk! What are you doing in my bed?!"

Inuyasha looked around, slightly confused. "Um.. sleeping?" he suggested, looking back down at her innocently.

Kagome glowered up at him, and Inuyasha distinctly felt his hackles rise with a sense of imminent doom.

"Osuwari!!"

Her voice cracked like a whip, issuing the magical command that he had not heard in a very long time. And down he went with a loud indignant, "Oomph!" After a moment of being held down by the rosary, Inuyasha blinked his eyes open in surprise. "Wow.. that didn't hurt at all…" he commented, once again marveling at the unbelievable softness of Kagome's strange futon.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome ground out warningly.

He quickly sat up defensively, "What?"

"Get. Out. Now!"

"Wha..?"

"This is my _bedroom!_" Kagome yelled, rising to her feet. "You can't be in here!"

Inuyasha frowned back at her and clambered off the bed, not about to let her tower over him. "You've never had a problem with me being in here before."

"That was different! You were in my bed!"

"I've slept in your bed before too," Inuyasha pointed out, starting to get frustrated.

"Not while I was in it!"

He stared at her blankly for a moment or two. "Yeah, so..? What's the big deal?"

Kagome's eyes widened, then narrowed dangerously. "'What's the big deal'?" she hissed, taking a step towards him, causing him to lean back a bit in surprise. "What kind of girl do you think I am?! You can't just come in here and expect me to let you just climb in bed with me!"

Inuyasha's face clouded with anger; he clenched his fists and squared his shoulders as he straightened to glare down at her. "Oh yeah?" he snarled, grabbing her left wrist and wrenching it up in front of her face, "Then what the hell does this mean?!"

Kagome stared hard at the diamond ring on her finger before replying quietly, "It means that I agreed to marry you." 

"Exactly!"

Kagome pulled her hand free of his grip and stepped back a little, shaking her head. "But we're not married yet…"

"Kagome…"

She shook her head again, frowning at him as her anger began to quiet. "I'm just… not ready to be sleeping with a boy…" She blushed prettily, looking down at the floor and wringing her hands. "…Much less… doing _that…"_

Inuyasha felt his face begin to heat as well. He knew what she meant by 'that.' He swallowed hard and looked away, but not before he caught a rather unwelcome scent coming from Kagome. It made him frown at the implications as an odd sinking sensation began in his stomach. "You.. you were afraid I was gonna try something while you were asleep.. huh?" he said quietly, not looking up at her.

There was a beat of silence, then, "What..?"

"I mean, I guess I can understand, because I'm half demon and all," he continued, his thick bangs falling over his eyes, hiding his emotions from her.

"What-?! Inuyasha, what in the world are you talking about?" Kagome gasped, more than a little alarmed.

Finally he lifted his head to meet her gaze, his eyes slightly angry and pained. "You're afraid. I can smell it, and it was even stronger a few moments ago."

Kagome's eyes widened a bit as she realized what he was implying. Stepping up to him, she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck. "You big idiot," she said softly, hugging his stiff frame, "I'm not afraid of you. I.. I love you. And I know you'd never do anything like that." Suddenly she grinned, hugging him a bit tighter, "Unless, of course, Miroku's started rubbing off on you."

That made him jump, before he responded. "Keh! I hope not. That damn lecher's fucking annoying…" he grumbled even as his hands found her waist.

Kagome pulled back a little to grin up at him. "Aw, c'mon, you know you love him."

"Hell no!" Inuyasha protested, glaring down at her.

Kagome tilted her head to one side teasingly, "Reeeally?"

"Yeah, really," he growled, leaning forward so he was almost nose to nose with her. "'Cause there's someone else I love, remember?" He suddenly closed the distance between them, locking his mouth over hers, kissing her aggressively. Kagome was about to respond, but the kiss ended as quickly as it had begun, Inuyasha leaving her mouth to rest his forehead against hers.

"Inuyasha..?" Kagome began a bit dazedly. He closed his eyes for a moment, before opening them to stare at her intently.

"Do you… mind… that I'm half demon?" he asked quietly, seriously.

Kagome frowned, feeling both worried and uncomfortable. "What does that have to do with anything?" she asked.

Inuyasha straightened and looked away, though his arms remained around her. "If.. I were ever to lose control, turn full demon…" He scowled, not even really sure where his thoughts were going. If he ever hurt her in any way.. he'd never be able to forgive himself. He shook his head, drawing a long breath. "Kagome… Would you, ah… Do you want me to turn human?" he asked seriously, finally looking back down at her.

Kagome blinked up at him for a few moments, at a loss for what to say. Did she want him to be human? If he were human… She frowned, her eyes tracing his face, seeing him watching her so intently. "No," she finally said slowly. "No, I don't mind that you're half-demon. I… I fell in love with you as a hanyou, didn't I? I.. I think you're perfect as you are," she said, smiling shyly up at him.

Inuyasha's eyes widened a little, looking shocked and hopeful. "You… You really wouldn't want me to be human?"

Kagome couldn't help smiling brightly at that; he really sounded touched by her admittance. "No, I wouldn't," she agreed. "I think I'd miss your ears too much," she grinned, reaching up to tug on one such furry appendage.

That immediately brought a blush to Inuyasha's face, and Kagome laughed outright as she hugged him, and then shooed him out the door. "Go on, get out, I need to get changed. I can't believe I slept in my clothes last night…" she mumbled, closing the door after him.

Inuyasha glanced back at the now-closed door, feeling warm all over and actually allowing a warm smile to creep across his face. It wasn't like it was something he consciously thought about – except when someone else brought it up and he was forced to – but hearing Kagome say that she didn't mind, even _liked him – loved him! – as a hanyou… He didn't know how to describe it, but he settled for sitting at the base of her door and practically glowing with joy and pride. Kagome loved him!_

His smile faded a little as he thought more on it. Sure, it was great that Kagome was one of the few people in a long, long time to accept him for what he was, but there was just one problem: Kagome was human. Humans grew old, humans got sick, and humans died. She would age while he was still young and healthy. And then he would be alone again. He bowed his head, feeling the emptiness creep through him all over again.

He didn't think he could do it. He couldn't bear to watch her go through life without him, growing older while he remained the same, as if he had been frozen in a moment of time.

She could join him, of course – use the jewel to make her immortal. But what about her family, her friends? He couldn't ask her to leave them behind, to have to watch them wither and die. He couldn't ask that of her any more than he could do it himself.

Despite what Kagome had said, there really was just one solution: he would have to turn human.

***

When Kagome had finished changing, no longer wearing a kimono but her usual modern skirt and blouse, they trooped down to the kitchen for breakfast. There they found a pile of schoolwork for Kagome to make up, and a note from Jikkou-san:

_Kagome-_

_I'm afraid whilst cleaning the crew took the liberty of completely emptying the cupboards and refrigerator of old food. There is little, if any, left. I decided it would probably be best to allow you to pick out your own food rather than restocking for you. I have obtained the credit cards, bank cards, checks, etc. that you will need to be able to shop for yourself. It all comes from your own money, so don't worry, there's plenty, but do use it wisely. If there are any complications, you know where to contact me._

_-Jikkou_

"Well, guess we're going to have to go shopping," Kagome sighed, looking around the rest of the kitchen a little in dismay.

Inuyasha looked up at her warily. "Shopping?"

"Mm," she nodded, setting the note down and picking up the money items. It was rather convenient that Jikkou-san had been able to get these for her, although she really wasn't sure how she was supposed to go shopping with Inuyasha hanging around, she thought as she watched the dog-demon curiously sniffing at her school supplies piled on the table. There was no way he would just wait patiently for her at home while she went out and shopped.

A smile slowly spread across her face as she watched him, and Inuyasha looked up at her a moment later, eyebrows raised questioningly. On the other hand…

***

"Why did I let you talk me into this again?" Inuyasha half-growled, trying to keep pace with Kagome in the thick downtown crowd while scratching at the baseball cap on his head with his free hand. 

"Because you love me," Kagome grinned, squeezing his hand. "..And because you're hungry." She glanced back at him, and a brief frown creased her forehead. "Don't scratch."

Inuyasha pulled a face, giving one more good scratch before forcing his hand to drop away from the uncomfortable hat. "Why do I have to wear all this, anyway?" he grumbled.

Kagome raised an eyebrow at him. "'All this'? A hat and some flip-flops aren't exactly a lot of extra clothes.." she replied, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"They feel weird…" he complained. He scuffed one foot along the pavement as they walked for emphasis. "How can you walk around with these things on your feet all the time?"

"How can you walk around barefoot all the time?" Kagome shot back.

"You get used to it…"

"Same to you!"

Inuyasha glared at her a moment before looking away with a petulant, "Keh!" She laughed, shaking her head, and pulled him along a little more quickly as they neared the grocery store.

They shopped quickly, half-filling a cart with food stuffs from ramen to fresh fruit to prime cut steak. Inuyasha discovered little candy samples at the end of one aisle and decided that they _needed_ to buy at least a pound of each of the sweet flavors, and about five pounds of that delicious chocolate stuff – despite Kagome's reminder of how sick he'd gotten the last time he'd eaten it. In the end, they agreed on a box of non-chocolate sugar cookies and just a small handful of hard candies to satisfy the dog-demon's outrageous sweet tooth. 

When they rolled up to the checkout counter and began unloading things, Kagome noticed not for the first time the odd looks people were giving Inuyasha. The dog-demon seemed oblivious to it, or perhaps he was just so conditioned that he had learned to ignore the constant whispering and staring. …Or maybe it had more to do with the packets of noodles that he was so lovingly unloading onto the conveyor belt that he paid no heed to the people around him.

Kagome shook her head, swiping a credit card through the machine and signing the receipt offered to her. They ended up with four bags total and they each carried two as they left the store.

Inuyasha glanced at Kagome curiously as they made their way back toward the Shrine. She seemed unusually quiet, as if she were thinking hard about something. "Kagome..?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"I think we should go clothes shopping," she said after a beat of silence, not looking at him.

Inuyasha blinked at her. "Huh?"

She looked up at him then, brows creased, looking slightly worried. "How long are we going to be here?" she asked seriously.

"Um.. I dunno…" Inuyasha looked away again, shifting uncomfortably. His expression darkened as they returned to the events of the day before. "As long as Higurashi's men are there, we can't go back to my time.. er…" _Our time.___

Kagome gave him a wry grin. "That reminds me.. I've been meaning to tell you…" She looked down at the sidewalk passing slowly beneath their feet, taking a deep breath. "I found out recently that.. I'm actually from your time," she said quietly, not looking at him.

Beside her, Inuyasha stopped dead. She turned to look at him, concerned and a little afraid of his reaction. "Inuyasha..?"

He stared at her openly, his mouth slightly open, before managing a dumbfounded, "You.. You know about that?"

Now it was Kagome's turn to look confused. "It was in the letter that Mama left for me." She looked away and started walking again. "I was supposed to get it on my eighteenth birthday, but since they're gone now… Jikkou-san went ahead and gave it to me."

Inuyasha walked beside her, frowning in thought. "That letter… the one with your name on it, from a few days ago," he realized aloud.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah. Apparently, Mama and Daddy found me at the bottom of the well when I was a baby. It said that there was some kind of amulet or tag or something that had my name and age on it. When nobody claimed me, they adopted me." She shrugged. "I guess Mama figured out what it all meant when I started traveling back and forth to the Feudal era through the well," she said, giving him a small smile. Inuyasha nodded thoughtfully. 

"I guess there's probably a lot more to the story than just that though.." she continued, looking ahead of them to where the Shrine steps were just coming into view. "I mean, I can't help wondering who my family was in that time.. who my parents were… why they left me there…" Her brows creased as that sad thought surfaced.

"You were kidnapped."

She looked at him quickly, but he looked completely serious. "You were kidnapped, the thief was killed right next to the well, and he dropped you in there… you came out in this time."

Kagome watched him a moment longer, before looking forward again. "That lord," she began quietly, "the one who sent those soldiers to attack us. Who was he? Was.. was he related to me at all?"

Inuyasha grimaced. That's what he was afraid she was going to ask about. He sighed and shifted. "He's your father."

"My.. My father?!" Kagome gaped at him. "This _Lord_ Higurashi is _my father?!" Inuyasha nodded once, looking irritated. Kagome looked ahead dazedly, pausing at the bottom of the stairs. "Wow…"_

Inuyasha growled low and started up ahead of her. "You don't know the half of it…" he grumbled.

***

"So… I'm some kind of princess or something?" Kagome asked as she stacked cans of vegetables and ramen packages in the pantry.

"Yeah…" Inuyasha came up next to her, carrying another bag of groceries.

She couldn't stop a small giggle. "My life just becomes more and more of a fairy tale as time goes on," she chuckled. Inuyasha snorted.

"Keh. Fairy tales are full of stupid, selfless heroes, and brainless damsels-in-distress, and… 'happily ever after.' A load of crock if you ask me," he grouched, shoving a few cans of soup onto a shelf.

Kagome watched his angry profile for a moment, before going back to unloading the food. "Well, if you ask _me_," she said quietly, concentrating on her work, "I'd say we already got our happily ever after."

Inuyasha paused beside her, and she turned to give him a small smile, which he slowly returned.

They unloaded the rest of the groceries in a warm kind of silence. When they had finished, they just sat at the table, enjoying being near each other without anything more pressing to do.

Kagome broke the silence after a few minutes. "Why did you get so angry when you saw my name on that letter?" she asked quietly, looking over at him.

Inuyasha fidgeted a little. "Our… families… don't really get along very well."

Kagome raised her eyebrows inquiringly. "'Our families'?"

"Higurashi and.. Shiro-Inu." He said the name like it was some foreign word, or something extremely distasteful. "Specifically me and Genshi, er.. your father."

Kagome nodded slowly. "Okay.. but why? I don't get it.."

Inuyasha growled under his breath. "I don't know… I guess, probably because my father was a Great Demon and the Higurashi's have powerful miko blood in them." He looked away, wrinkling his nose. "Just natural enemies, I guess…"

"Oh.." Kagome said softly, looking down at her hands.

"But then, they finally decided to stop fighting and the old Lord Higurashi and my father signed a treaty saying that they wouldn't attack each other's lands and people and all that political crap." He made a face again, growling lightly, "And _of course_ they decided that the best way to seal it was to have their kids get married."

Kagome looked at him oddly. "What do you mean?"

He sighed angrily and looked away. "They made the treaty a little after I was born. So, they agreed that when I was grown I was supposed to marry the first girl born to the Higurashi royal family."

Kagome's eyes widened and she turned to stare at him. "Are… are you saying..?"

Inuyasha nodded, not looking at her. "The current Lord had all sons, the oldest one, Genshi, a couple years older than me. And when Genshi grew up and took over the domain," he looked over at her, "he had you."

Kagome could only stare for a while, completely at a loss for words. Because of the treaty… She and Inuyasha were supposed to marry? She felt her cheeks heating up at that thought, despite the fact that they already _were_ engaged. A bit of sad disappointment started to curl in the pit of her stomach as she began to see it from a slightly different angle as well..

Her eyes drifted down to her hands fisted in her lap, and to the ring on her fourth left finger. "So… That's why… Because of the treaty…"

Inuyasha looked at her sharply, his eyes following her gaze to the ring before flying back up to her face. "No, no! It's not like that!" he quickly amended, waving his hands in a placating gesture. "It had nothing to do with the treaty when I asked you!"

Kagome just looked at him sadly. "Then why?" she asked softly.

"Ah.." Inuyasha jerked back, his mouth snapping closed audibly. He blinked a few times, not really sure how to answer that. Kagome sighed and looked away sadly. She could feel tears beginning in her eyes as the silence stretched on and on. He really didn't have a reason.

"Because…"

Kagome turned her head back around slightly, not looking at him, but no longer looking away either.

Inuyasha looked down at the floor in front of him, at his hands balled into fists on his thighs. He forced himself not to think about it, not to worry that he would seem weak, just forcing himself to get the words out. "Because.. I was afraid. I was afraid, since the Jewel was completed, that you would leave." He heard Kagome sniffle and cringed slightly. "I.. I didn't want you to leave. Because… when I'm with you, I… it's like everything's ok… I don't have to worry about what anyone thinks of me… or defend myself against anyone." He stared down at his hands, allowing them to open and stared at the calloused, creased palms. "It's like… I'm not alone anymore.."

He continued to stare at his palms even as he heard Kagome shift to look at him. "Do you really mean that?" she asked, her voice a little choked. He opened his mouth to say something, but then just settled on nodding, his face bare and honest.

Kagome leaned over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Thank you. I'm sorry I doubted you."

"Keh.." Inuyasha said softly, hugging her back. He couldn't believe he'd just said all that, and as much as he wanted to deny it, he couldn't. That was really how he felt. Of course, he'd be damned if anyone but Kagome ever got to hear him talk like that.

Kagome sighed against him, her face coloring slightly in embarrassment. "I have to admit.. I was a little scared. I was always afraid that you only liked me because I reminded you of Kikyou, and then this… To think that you were only marrying me because you _had to…"_

"Baka!" Inuyasha growled, holding her a little tighter. "The treaty can burn in hell for all I care! But _you_ are mine!"

Kagome chuckled, shaking her head at his completely unashamed possessiveness, and leaned up to kiss him on the mouth.

***

At that very moment – or rather, four hundred years before hand, give or take a few – the treaty actually _was_ burning quite merrily, though not in hell, but in a brazier in Higurashi Genshi's study.

Genshi looked up sharply from the military commands he was writing out at the sudden commotion coming from the hallway. He jerked his head to his personal guard, and they moved toward the door to see what all the noise was about. The shoji was thrown aside before they could reach it, and a tall, regally dressed inu youkai strode in, looking perfectly calm for the blood staining his hands.

Genshi rose to his feet as the youkai backhanded his guards out of the way as if they were no more than paper dolls, and then turned cold gold eyes on him. He was about to demand what he thought he was doing, when the demon's eyes flickered to the brazier, his nose wrinkling at the smell of burning ink and paper.

"That had better not be what I think it is."

Genshi blinked, glancing at the fire as well, and then all the color drained from his face as he realized just who he must be speaking to. "Lord Sesshoumaru," he began a bit shakily.

Sesshoumaru regarded the human man with his trademark poker face, sizing him up carefully. This clan was known for its extraordinary spiritual leaders, as well as for its fierce military. The Higurashi's had, at one point, even rivaled his own father's forces – and that was no easy feat. This man did resemble his predecessor greatly, though he lacked the former lord's poise and honor. Perhaps a threat, perhaps not..

"I came to inquire as to the reason for your soldiers taking up residence in my brother's domain, but if you are doing away with our treaty, then perhaps I should take this as an open act of war," he said coolly, eyes trained on the human man carefully. 

Genshi tensed, his hands dropping to clench into fists at his sides. "I refuse to abide any longer by a treaty which requires me to give up my only daughter to a demon, much less to that abomination!" he growled.

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow, his eyes narrowing slightly. "You would do well to watch your words, human. My brother may be a mongrel half-breed, but he is of noble lineage, and has proven himself worthy of that lineage. And he has the right to choose whomever he will for a mate." He shifted, half-turning as if readying himself to leave. "But if you will no longer 'abide' by our treaty, then consider yourself dead where you stand. I will no longer refrain from attacking and killing your subjects." And with that, he turned and left.

***

"So, now that we have that all figured out, back to my original question: how long do you think we're going to stay here?" Kagome asked, leaning back in Inuyasha's arms to look up at him. 

The dog-demon thought about that for a moment, before shrugging and looking back down at her. "No idea. Genshi's a persistent bastard, though, so it could be a while.."

Kagome nodded thoughtfully. "Well, if we're going to be here for that long, then I think we need to get you some more suitable clothes.."

Inuyasha blinked down at her. "What..?"

***

"There is no way in all the fucking burnt hells that I am going out in public like this!"

Kagome laughed, handing him a t-shirt over the dressing-room door. "Come on, let me see. I'm sure you look fine."

"Why did I agree to this again?" Inuyasha grumbled, pulling the shirt on over his head and then reaching over to unlatch the door for Kagome.

"You're saying that an awful lot today," Kagome said, poking her head around the door to see him. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight that met her. The baggy, American-style blue jeans and red t-shirt against the mane of silver hair, surly expression, and fanged necklace made him look like a regular skateboard-riding, parent-ignoring, hard-rocking teenager. She smiled, trying to stop the giggles building up.

"What are you laughing at?" he demanded, glaring at her as he folded his arms over his chest self-consciously. 

Kagome shook her head, still laughing quietly. "Nothing.. You just look like…" She covered her mouth with her hand, smothering her giggles. "You look like a punk."

"What?" Inuyasha growled.

She grinned up at him, uncovering her mouth. "A punk. You know, the kind of guy that's always getting into trouble and never does what he's told…"

Inuyasha quirked an eyebrow. "A troublemaker?"

Kagome giggled again. "I guess you could say that.."

He just growled again and looked back at the mirror, tugging on the t-shirt and then on the jeans. "They're too tight.. I feel like I can barely move."

"Oh, please, I picked out the loosest clothes they had, just 'cause I know how you're used to wearing that big baggy gi." Inuyasha just made a face and continued trying to stretch the shirt out. Kagome sighed and shook her head, coming over to grab his hands and make him stop. 

"Well I like it," she said, smiling slightly. He raised an eyebrow at her and her smile widened. "There's just something about seeing you in clothes from this time…" She shrugged, "I don't know, but it's nice. You know, sort of like the first time you saw me in a kimono like people wear in your time."

Inuyasha blinked at her. "You mean the first time I saw you bathing and then when you came out you put on those priestess robes and you looked almost exactly like Kikyou?"

Kagome's eyes narrowed at him dangerously. "No… I meant when I wore a kimono to the summer festival in the village last year."

"Oh… right…"

Kagome glared icily at him, then turned her back to let herself out of the dressing room. "Go ahead and change out of those clothes so we can pay for them. I'll wait for you outside," she said snippily. Inuyasha winced as the door slammed shut behind her, then winced again at what he'd blurted out to her. He'd done it this time.. no wonder she was offended…

He dressed quickly, shaking off the sense of doom left from the bathing comment and instead thinking about what Kagome'd said. He couldn't remember much of the festival she was talking about, but maybe that was because he'd barely been able to take his eyes off her for most of the night… 

(Well, that and the fact that he and Shippou had practically been run out of the village several times by angry humans who didn't want youkai in their midst…) 

But if his wearing these future clothes had the same affect on Kagome that her cute little white and pink kimono had on him, then to hell with being able to move! He'd wear whatever she asked him to!

He balled the clothes up in his hands and left the dressing room, looking around for Kagome as he let the door swing shut behind him. He finally spotted her across the store with her back to him, but he had to wonder as he made his way over to her – hadn't she been wearing something different earlier..?

The girl looked up when he touched her shoulder and it was then that he realized that she wasn't Kagome at all. It was almost disturbing how similar they looked, but still.. he'd be able to tell them apart if they stood next to each other.

"Yes?" the girl asked, smiling a bit too encouragingly up at him. 

He pulled his hand back as she leaned closer, practically leering at him. "Um…"

"Inuyasha!" He spun around when he heard Kagome call out from behind him, seeing her waiting for him by the checkout counter. He hurried over, casting one last quick glance at the girl, still watching him smugly. "What were you doing?" Kagome asked when he reached her, frowning up at him.

Inuyasha looked back at her, his face coloring slightly. "Uh.. Nothing…"

Kagome frowned and took the clothes from him, but didn't comment again. 

They left the store after paying for the clothes, and Inuyasha couldn't help looking back over his shoulder one more time. The girl he'd mistaken for Kagome was still watching him as they left, and he felt his hackles rise at the smug smirk that spread across her face. He didn't see Kagome watching him, or the saddened look that came into her eyes when she followed his gaze to the object of his attention.

***

_Just don't think about it, Kagome,_ she told herself as they sat down to lunch in a small burger restaurant downtown. Inuyasha had changed into his new modern clothes at the first public bathroom they found, and Kagome was beginning to wonder if buying the clothing had been a huge mistake. Apparently, she wasn't the only girl who thought the wild skate-boarder look was attractive. She just couldn't ignore all the female attention Inuyasha was suddenly getting, and it was also becoming increasingly difficult to ignore Inuyasha's lack of rebuttal against most of the women who approached them.

She could understand him being clueless and confused when girls asked for his phone number, and he did glare at most of the women he caught staring at him. But there were a few that he would stare straight back at… They were always tall and slim, with long dark hair, and cool taunting eyes. And they all seemed to look like Kikyou.

_Great.__ Now you're getting paranoid! She glared down at the menu, doing a pretty good impression of her fiancé's dog-demon growl. She glanced over at said dog-demon, only to find him once again distracted, this time by an especially pretty one across the street, wearing an expensive-looking short black dress that clung to her body and showed off every one of her absolutely perfect curves. _

Kagome cleared her throat loudly.

Inuyasha jumped and whipped around to look at her, looking startled. Kagome leaned her elbow on the table, resting her chin in her up-turned hand. "Whatcha thinking about?" she asked causally, though her eyes were slightly narrowed as she watched him.

He swallowed hard. "Um, nothing…" He looked down at the menu lying on the table before him, trying to figure out what was what. "Uh… Do you know if they have ramen here?"

Beside him, Kagome sighed and he frowned. He wondered if she had noticed all the strange people (okay, mainly strange women) who had been following them around since the clothing market. It was beginning to wear on his nerves, making him wish they could just go home already, but he didn't want to say anything and possibly scare Kagome, if she hadn't noticed them yet. 

He wasn't even sure what they were… They smelled human enough, but there was just something that was.. off… Something was sparking against his senses, making him want to go on full alert and hunt it down, whatever it was. It was like when Shippou tried to transform near him – he was so young that he didn't know how to curb his youki, so he would send off a little blast of his aura whenever he made any foxfire or pulled any of his tricks. At the same time, it was also like the feeling he got when Miroku, or even more so, Kagome, charged an ofuda with their purifying powers. It was like a little shock running through the air because of the huge amounts of power being wielded. 

So whatever was trailing them was either very clumsy ..or very powerful.

*** 

[This is where the LIME WARNING comes in! Run for the hills!! _]

The days seemed to fly by. Before either of them knew it, they'd been there an entire week. Inuyasha would have tried to return to the past by then, but he was becoming increasingly edgy as the days wore on. It seemed almost like the strange women he'd seen on their first day there were slowly closing in on them. First, practically everywhere he looked when he actually left the shrine there was a face that resembled Kikyou or Kagome or some mix in between. Not to mention the overshadowing youki that lurked around them, taunting his senses.

Then, one of them had come to the Shrine. 

He'd stayed hidden inside the house, just watching suspiciously as the crisply-dressed woman made her way through the compound, bypassing all of the temples and holy shrines and coming right up to the house. She hadn't knocked on the door or tried to find if there was anyone home; she'd just looked around the outside of the house, until her gaze came to the window where he was barely visible. She had smiled at him, that same smug grin he'd been seeing everywhere, and then simply turned and left. 

Kagome had come home from school then, coming up the stairs just as the woman was leaving, and he saw her give the younger girl that same smug smile as she brushed past her. Kagome had watched her go, her face both concerned and confused, before turning back around to make her way over to the house, looking like she was lost in thought.

He let out a frustrated puff of air and leaned his chin on his folded arms, staring out of Kagome's window, wondering when she'd be home. She'd told him that morning that she was going to stop by the grocery store on her way home from school, since he'd already eaten through all the ramen they'd bought last time. He sighed. He hadn't thought it would take this long…

"Inuyasha…"

He jumped and looked around to see Kagome standing in the doorway, watching him lazily. When on earth had she gotten home? He hadn't seen her come in at all, and he'd been watching all afternoon, unless he'd dozed off at some point…

"What did I tell you about being in my room?" she asked, slowly meandering over toward him. Inuyasha was suddenly very aware of the fact that she wasn't wearing her school uniform anymore – instead, she'd replaced it with a short black dress that showed off her long, slender legs, riding up ever-so-slightly every time she took a step. He also couldn't help noticing how low-cut it was when she bent over to look him in the face, sitting at the base of her window as he was. "I seem to remember saying you shouldn't be in here…"

Inuyasha almost unconsciously pushed himself further back into the wall as she leaned closer. "Oh.. Oh, yeah…"

"'Cause you know, there's no telling what kind of racy things could happen when a boy and girl are in her bedroom.. alone…" She breathed the last word out, her lips brushing against his cheek, making him shiver with the sensation.

His hands came up to grip her bare shoulders. "Kagome…"

"Hmm?" She was kissing along his cheek and jaw, working her way down to his neck, her hands braced on his chest. Her fingers found their way to the ties on the front of his robes, slowly working to untie them. 

"Damnit, woman," Inuyasha growled, pulling her off of him to hold her at arms length. "What has gotten into you?"

"Nothing," she giggled, leaning forward again to kiss him on the lips. "But I wouldn't mind if you did," she whispered huskily against his mouth, reaching between them to massage a rather sensitive part of his anatomy. Inuyasha yelped in surprise and jumped away, staring down at her wide-eyed as he slowly backed away.

She laughed light-heartedly and stood as well, turning to face him. "A bit jumpy, aren't you?" He just eyed her warily as she advanced on him once more. She idly ran her hands over his chest before beginning to pick at the ties there again.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha began, reaching up to lightly grab her forearms to stop her. She flashed him a mischievous grin before leaning up to kiss him again, halting whatever it was he had been about to say. His grip slackened and she once again set about taking his shirt off. "Wait, wait, wait!" Inuyasha said, finally finding his senses again and taking a step away from her, waving off her seeking hands. "What the hell happened to you not being ready for 'that'?!" he demanded, fisting his hands on his hips and glaring down at her suspiciously. 

She just blinked up at him, then grinned again and stepped forward to slide her arms around his neck. "What, I'm not allowed to change my mind?" she asked silkily. Then realization seemed to come to her, and she gaped up at him, half grinning. "Unless you're scared, of course…"

"WHAT?!"

She giggled again, shaking her head slightly. "It's alright, really. I promise to be gentle," she purred, leaning up to nibble on his jaw.

Inuyasha growled and tried to turn his head away from her attentions. He wasn't scared! Well, not for _himself_, anyway.. His only qualm about mating her was how she had made it very clear over the last week that she did not want to go that far, not 'til she was done with school, they were married, and they were ready to start a family together.

Yet here she was, throwing herself at him, in that skimpy little dress…

What to do, what to do..?

The girl in his arms rubbed her leg against his, reminding him of just how short that skimpy little dress was. Her voice was almost a moan when she spoke, "Please, Inuyasha? I know you want to.." She nuzzled his cheek and kissed the corner of his mouth, tightening her arms around his shoulders to push herself up against him more. "Please..?"

The last thought in Inuyasha's head as he turned to meet her lips with his own was, _Ah, what the hell…_

And down they went.

***

Kagome barely made it through the front door and into the kitchen before the two large grocery bags in her arms slipped all the way out of her grasp. Luckily, though, she managed to drop them onto the kitchen counter before they could fall and spill all over the floor, scattering all of her carefully-selected food-stuffs everywhere. 

A loud thud from upstairs made her jump and she looked up at the ceiling above her, almost as if she could see straight through it to the disturbance upstairs. There was another crash against the wall upstairs, and it suddenly occurred to her what must be going on: Inuyasha and Buyo were play-fighting again. Grinning to herself, she shook her head and made her way over to the stairs, hoping to be able to catch them in a tender moment.

They had found the now-much-thinner cat holed up in one of the shrines a few days ago, surviving mainly on rodents and rain water. At first he hadn't recognized them, but when they offered him some real cat food, Buyo had once again become the happy family cat he used to be. He had taken to Inuyasha especially quickly, and Kagome was surprised to find that the dog-demon didn't mind the cat at all. She shook her head again as she climbed the stairs. _You'd think they'd be mortal enemies, but no.. Buyo's more his cat than mine, now…_

She'd managed to catch the tail-ends of a few of their 'fights' before, just when Buyo had decided that he'd had enough fighting for one day and snuggled into Inuyasha's lap, curling up into a purring, furry mass. Inuyasha, for his part, would just sit and stroke the cat's fur, his eyes half-closed and distant. Then he would notice her standing in the doorway watching them, and he would blush and try to act all tough to ward off the tender smile she gave him. It was so cute, she couldn't help doing it as often as possible. 

When she got upstairs though, it didn't sound like they were playing around anymore. She ducked inside Souta's room, and was surprised to see the very cat she'd been looking for sprawled out on the bed, alone. She frowned and stepped back into the hall, her eyes sliding to her own bedroom. If Buyo was in there, then what on earth had been making those noises..?

Kagome felt her blood run cold as she slowly neared her bedroom doorway. It sounded like there was someone in her room.. Heavy breathing, the sound of cloth rustling, moving across skin… It took all of Kagome's strength to just turn and peek inside the room. And then she almost couldn't look away again. 

Clothes littered the floor, furniture and books overturned all over her room. And on the bed.. Two figures lay there, clutching each other desperately. The white hair and canine ears of the man were unmistakable, but she couldn't get a good look at the woman beneath him. They were still mostly clothes (thank goodness!), but he was missing his red haori and it looked like his white kimono was soon to follow it. Kagome finally forced herself to look away when the woman wrapped her legs around one of his, her already ultra-short black dress riding up around her hips.

She felt numb as she slowly walked back down the hall, down the stairs, out the front door. She sat on the front steps, her face blank as she stared down at her lap. She didn't know what to feel. Anger? Sadness? Betrayal? Yes, that sounded right. She felt betrayed. But anger and sadness tied into that, and she still couldn't decide between.

Then, like a dam breaking, the emotions overwhelmed her. She couldn't think anymore; all she could do was scrub at her eyes as her tears came pouring out, and try to forget the image of Inuyasha lying there with some woman, touching her, letting _her_ touch _him._

Then it was almost like she just skipped over some time – one instant she was sitting on the porch, crying her heart out, and the next she was standing on the edge of the well, staring down into its inky black depths just before she jumped into it.

***

When she came out on the other side, she didn't bother climbing out. She just sat at the bottom, staring into space, letting her tears fall. She didn't know how long she'd sat there, when a face poked over the edge of the well, squinting to see her at the bottom. 

"Kagome?" Meisai called down, looking worried. The human girl just stared up at her, her face emotionless save for the tears still tracking down her cheeks. Meisai frowned and reached a hand down toward her. "Come up here.. Tell me what's wrong."

Kagome shook her head, but stood and began climbing out of well. Just because she didn't want to talk about it didn't mean she was going to refuse a shoulder to cry on when it was offered. 

Once she was standing one firm ground again, Meisai tried again. "What's wrong? What.. Do you want to tell me what happened?" Kagome just shook her head again and slid down to sit at the base of the well. Meisai frowned and sat with her.

After several moments of silence, Meisai sighed and looked away, steeling herself. She didn't know what was going on, being stuck in this time until she delivered Kagome to Marudashi, and while she did feel for the girl, her own survival really came first. 

"Kagome," Meisai said, her voice firm. The other girl slowly looked up at her, her gaze questioning. Meisai took a deep breath, "There's something I want to show you. It.. It's a place. You get to it by jumping through this well."

Kagome frowned. "Meisai," she began, her voice cracking a little. "I already know.. on the other side of the well is the future…" She trailed off when the other girl shook her head. 

"This is some place different." She held out her hand, smiling reassuringly. "Let me show you."

Still frowning slightly, Kagome let herself be pulled up and over the rim of the well. She felt the familiar charge of energy when they passed through, but instead of landing back in the well, they were surrounded by cool, inky, blackness. She brought her hand up to her eyes, trying to clear her vision. "What on earth..? Where are we?"

She felt Meisai pull away from beside her, and she turned around, frantically trying to find some way out of the black mist around her. Kagome stopped dead in her tracks at the site that greeted her.

"We.. are home."

** ** ** ** **

Ok, for those of you who skipped the limey part, basically what happened was that some woman who looked like Kagome came to the house and tried to seduce Inuyasha (it still remains to be seen if it really worked or not *evil cackling*). Meanwhile, the _real_ Kagome came home from school and grocery shopping, went upstairs and found Inuyasha and some unknown woman lying on her bed, making out, etc, etc.. (don't worry, they were still dressed.. _) Kagome just left without saying anything (she was in shock o_O), and before she knew it, she was jumping down the well and going back to the Sengoku Jidai. Ok.. now you can read the very last scene, since that one's completely clean ^^;

Don't ask, I know I've sorta left the rest of the gang & Sess sorta hanging for a while, but I'm pretty sure they should come back in next chapter.. And sorry if this chapter seems a bit rough in places.. I didn't really feel like editing it much, and this has taken me so long to write already, I figured I'd just go ahead and post it. ^^;

**Gi – **Inuyasha's kimono-clothes-thing.. yeah…

**Ofuda – **the spell-scrolls that Miroku uses to purify things

**Youki –** demonic power

Review please!!!


	9. Of Gods and Demons

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 9 

OK, ok… I don't know about the rest of you, but I didn't particularly like the last chapter, and not just because of the whole Inuyasha-getting-seduced-by-an-evil-Kagome-wanna-be. So, let's see if I can't get this thing back on track…

Oh yeah, can't forget the disclaimer..: I'm not Rumiko Takahashi, so therefore à I don't own Inuyasha!

** ** ** ** **

It was a palace. There was no other way to describe it. Huge pillars of shining black marble rose out of the mists, supporting a roof that gave it a look somewhere between a Japanese pagoda and an ancient Roman temple. Kagome felt like she'd been punched hard in the gut as she stared up at the huge building, seemingly floating on the river of dark fog, its expanses fading off into the distance as far as she could see. 

Meisai continued on before her, wading through the mist gathered around their feet as she made her way to the courthouse-like stairs that led to the entrance of the building. Even as Kagome watched, she seemed to morph – a long, silky black tail sprouting from her rump, her ears pointing and elongating into a purely elvish look.  She paused at the bottom of the stairs to glance back at Kagome, looking slightly irritated, "You coming?"

Kagome didn't even realize she'd been gaping at her until she tried to move her mouth to speak. "You're- You're a-"

"A kitsune?" Meisai made a face. "Sort of…" She turned away again and began slowly making her way up the stairs, not showing any recognition when Kagome hurried to follow her, not wanting to be left out in the sea of fog.

"What.. is this place?" Kagome asked, her voice awed as she stared up at the high, vaulted ceilings.

Meisai allowed herself the barest of smiles, not facing the other girl as she continued to stride in through the front hall. "This is my home… and yours." She kept her face blank, not looking back at the human girl.

Kagome looked surprised. "My..? What do you mean?" she asked, frowning.

Meisai sighed and finally stopped walking, though she did not turn to face the other girl. "I think," she said slowly, as if weighing her words carefully, "that you might find things here much more suitable for you."

She could hear Kagome slowly approaching behind her, her steps cautious, "What do you mean?"

Meisai closed her eyes, forcing herself to remain calm. She was the Child of Dusk, of Eternity. Of course she should stay here – it had nothing to do with anything Marudashi might have done. It was just a matter of principle, really. It had absolutely nothing to do with Marudashi's tendency to shatter the lives of those she came in contact with. No connection at all. No point even discussing it. "You'll.. you'll see," she finally said softly, and then once again began leading the way into the depths of the dark, marble palace.

***

And back in Kagome's own bedroom, on Kagome's own bed…

Inuyasha kissed and nuzzled along her jaw, loving every bit of her from her soft, ebony hair, right down to her small, oh-so-cute toes. Naturally, he smothered some of that love on her lips, neck, shoulders (etc), taking in her scent.. That scent that could brighten even the darkest of days because it just meant that she was near. That scent that told him all her little secrets, when she sad or happy or angry, when she was hurt or sick, or…

_…Her scent…_

He had to have imagined it, he told himself as he paused for barely an instant before going back to sucking on the side of her neck. But then, when he breathed in deeply once more, there it was again. Something didn't belong there, something taunting, hiding from his senses. It was buried beneath layer upon layer of the sweet, soft, and at the moment intoxicatingly heady scent that was Kagome. But there – he caught a whiff of it again!

He pulled back for a moment, supporting himself on his elbows and knees as he stared down at her. She blinked up at her, panting slightly, her pale face flushed, her soft, supple arms wound around his neck. After a moment she frowned, tugging on his shoulders to bring him back down to her, whining, "Inuyasha…"

He allowed himself to be pulled back down, his face nestled in the juncture of her neck and shoulder, but he didn't kiss her again, and his hands remained still by her head. He just closed his eyes and took in her scent.

She was heavily aroused, he could tell that much.. But hadn't her scent before been touched with fear and apprehension whenever he got overenthusiastic when they kissed? Now, she was being so aggressive, so.. so.. so _un-Kagome! _

It was like sifting through a mass of ever-shifting sands, trying to find the elusive secret hidden beneath it all. He would strip away one layer only to find another, just like it, beneath it. Two steps forward, one step back, the whole way. But he was making progress…

She was beginning to get agitated. He could smell it on her. It was giving her away. He could feel his body begin to cool as he simply laid over her, no longer kissing or touching her. Just a little more, and he'd know what the hell was wrong with her…

He could hear the frown in her voice as she began to unwind her arms from around his neck, "Inu-"

It suddenly hit like a slap in the face, the scent rushing through his senses, almost blinding him with its abruptness. It was like discovering the Cutting Wind all over again – one moment the scent wasn't there, and then- BAM! It was right in front of him. It seemed so obvious now, he wondered that he could have possibly missed it before:

The scent of fox.

Inuyasha's eyes suddenly slammed open, staring down at the woman below him, that realization tumbling through his head, and then finally sinking in. 

The scent of _fox!_

She almost didn't know what hit her- One moment the dog was above her, and then she had been thrown roughly against the wall and he was all the way across the room, snarling and practically foaming at the mouth in rage.

"_WHAT IN ALL THE BLOODY FUCKING HELLS-?!?!"_

She sat up slowly, smiling languidly at him as she pushed her dress back down over her legs. "Aw, what's the matter, puppy dog? I too much for you?"

Inuyasha almost howled in frustration. "Bitch!! What the hell do you think you're doing?! Where's Kagome?!?!"

Her smile suddenly turned smug and conniving, her eyes narrowing on him. "Does it really matter where she is?" It was the strangest thing to see such a gleefully evil expression on Kagome's face.

"Bitch-!!" Inuyasha snarled, rearing up and pouncing, ready to slash her to pieces. And he would have, too, if she hadn't suddenly disappeared from right in front of him. As it was, he just roughed up the already-mussed blankets on Kagome's bed.

He spun around at the feminine voice tut-tutting that came from behind him. She was seated on the edge of Kagome's desk, one leg crossed over the other as she just shook her head at him. "Really, you don't have to react so violently just because we didn't get as far as we might have." Again with that damned smug grin!

Inuyasha bristled, his face flaming at the mention of what he's almost done with this bitch. "DIE!!" Again, he lunged at her, only to have her teleport somewhere else in the room, leaving him to crash into the furniture she had just been seated on. He swung around to find her now perched atop Kagome's tall bookshelf, noticing on some level that she was beginning to look less and less like his Kagome each time she teleported. 

He readied himself for another pass, stopping abruptly when she suddenly threw her head back and laughed. He could only gape in shocked repulsion, feeling rather insulted, until she looked back down at him, her black eyes again narrowing to near slits as she smirked down at him. "Don't worry about your precious little Kagome.. She's in safe hands, I assure you. Not that a little hanyou like you could reach her, anyway," she sneered, laughing again.

"_Biiiitch!!" Again, she disappeared before he even reached her, this time reappearing in the doorway of Kagome's room, standing with her arms folded over her chest and twittering again as she shook her head up at him. Inuyasha dropped down from the bookshelf, growling, when she grinned maliciously at him once again. _

She didn't look anything like Kagome now. Instead, she had silky, shoulder-length black hair, the pointed ears of a youkai, and a long, fluffy black tail that thrashed around her legs, showing that she was indeed a kitsune. Marudashi smirked as the dog-demon again began to advance. 

"This is rather pointless, you know," she said casually, leaning against the doorframe. "She's gone and there's nothing you can do about it." She smirked as Inuyasha's growling suddenly grew louder. "Even if you could reach her, do you really think she'd return to you?"

"Bitch! What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Inuyasha snarled, taking a swipe at her, which she easily dodged. 

Marudashi smirked again, dancing around him. "Come on, dog-breath. After what she saw, do you really think she'll want anything to do with you?" Inuyasha froze, and the kitsune sent him one last smug grin before blipping out of sight once again. This time, she did not reappear. 

Inuyasha's hands fell back to his sides as he let himself sag back against the wall behind him. Now that the fox-bitch was gone, the scents of the house were all returning to him. He closed his eyes, letting them wash over him. 

Kagome had stood here, right where he was now, only a short time ago. He let his nose guide him, following the scent trail down the stairs, out the front door, onto the front porch. 

_What the hell..?_ He stopped, frowning down at the wood planks beneath his feet. The scent just ended here. Kagome should have been here, but for some reason she wasn't. His frown deepened, and he lifted his head to scent the wind. A small puff of a breeze carried a tendril of her smell from the direction of the well-house. 

Still frowning at the absurdity of it, he followed it.

***

Kagome looked up at the soft chattering that seemed to coming toward them. Meisai stopped in front of her, frowning in the direction of the noise. Her face darkened when a group of young-looking fox-women appeared around the corner, whispering and twittering among themselves as they approached the other two. 

"Well Meisai," one of them said when the group came to a stop a few feet from them, "I must say, I'm impressed. You _actually_ managed to get something right for a change. Simply amazing!" The women laughed contemptuously, the sound like tinkling bells echoing through the marble halls. 

"Or maybe you didn't," another chimed in as they began to circle around Kagome and Meisai, watching the human girl with mocking eyes. "I mean, can this really be _her? How do we know you didn't just grab some dirty little human off the street somewhere?" The girls laughed again, several throwing in more catcalls and poking fun at them as they continued to circle._

But when one tried to grab at Kagome's arm to pull her out from behind Meisai, the fox-girl was there in a flash, slapping the woman's hands away, her face twisted in a purely animal snarl. Suddenly things were serious.

"Idiots! Worthless little mongrels!!" Meisai snarled, whirling on them. It was suddenly quite apparent how much taller Meisai was compared to the other kitsune as she bore down on them. "Have you no respect?! Has it been so long that you have forgotten your Mistress's face?! Or do you think you now owe all your loyalty to that usurper Marudashi?!"

"Shut up!!" their leader hissed, her hands balled into fists as the kitsune all seemed to cringe away as one. "It is _you_ who have forgotten! Our goddess is dead, and _that," she spat, jerking her head in Kagome's direction, "will never replace her!" With that, they turned and made their way back down the hallway, several sniffing indignantly as they passed. _

Kagome looked over at Meisai once they had gone. The fox-girl had her hands fisted at her sides, her face reddening with rage barely held in check. After a moment, she closed her eyes, letting her chin fall to her chest and let out a long breath, her skin returning to its ordinary pale tone. "What was that about?" the human girl asked quietly after a moment.

Meisai shook her head, starting off down the corridor once more, an angry cloud hovering around her in the air. "Nothing. They just… They are bitter, and angry. Most of us are, because of what has happened to us." She studied the floor passing beneath her feet, aware of the human girl behind her and wondering how much she should tell her.

"What happened?" Kagome asked softly, after several moments of silence.

Meisai tilted her head back, letting a slow, wistful smile spread across her face. Maybe a little story would help to smooth the situation over. If anything, Kagome probably did need to know their history. She smiled to herself and resumed walking at a brisk pace, the human girl trailing quietly behind her.

"It all began a long, long time ago, when the world was still young. The earth was ruled by demons then, and the heavens by gods." Meisai paused to glance back at the human girl, "And not like the kami you see in the Sengoku Jidai now. Those are so watered down, with so many of the original bloodlines lost or diluted that they can only exist down in the earthly realms." She watched Kagome nod her understanding before continuing. 

"There was a god or goddess over just about every aspect of life, from water to fire," she looked back at Kagome again, a small smile on her face as she gestured at the palace around them, "to _time._" 

Kagome seemed to catch her drift, looking wide-eyed at the black marble walls around them before looking back at her kitsune guide. "You mean… This is where the.. Time God lives..?"

Meisai gave a wistful smile, not looking at the human girl. "_Lived. Hitotoki-sama died a long time ago…"_

"Oh…"

She shook her head, looking at the ground before continuing. "You ever read the story of _Romeo and Juliet_?" she asked suddenly, stopping to look back at Kagome. 

The human stopped as well, unsure. It did sound familiar, although the names didn't sound Japanese or even Asian at all. "Eh… I don't think so…"

Meisai shook her head, half smiling, and started walking again. "I guess I'm not surprised. It's a European play by an Englishman named William Shakespeare. Basically, Romeo and Juliet are two young people from two different families. They meet at some party and fall in love. Only problem is, their families hate each other."

"That does tend to complicate things…" 

Meisai smirked, nodding. "Yeah. So there's a ton of fighting between the families and a lot of people die… including Romeo and Juliet. And all because they fell in love with the one person they couldn't have."

Kagome looked over at her, "Oh.. That's.. that's terrible…"

"Yeah, well, that's what happened to our goddess," Meisai responded darkly. "She fell in love with the _wrong_ person."

Kagome frowned slightly, watching the fox girl for several minutes as they walked. Something was bothering her… Finally, she got up the courage to ask her question. "Was he.. a demon?"

Meisai glanced at her. "What?"

"The person she fell in love with.. was he a demon?"

Meisai looked surprised for a moment before she looked away. When she spoke her voice was quiet, pensive. "Yes. He was.." She paused and glanced at Kagome out of the corner of her eye. "He was.. a dog-demon."

As expected, Kagome stopped and looked at her sharply. Meisai could only guess if the girl understood what she was implying, and she honestly didn't know if she wanted her to figure it out or not. In any case, she looked away a moment later, her brows drawn together in thought. "Why didn't things work out between them?" she finally asked softly.

Meisai sighed. "They were discovered by another god. He apparently had harbored feelings for Hitotoki-sama and was outraged that she had relations with an 'unholy demon.'" She gave Kagome a wry smile, "Of course no one mentioned then that we, her loyal servants, are practically youkai ourselves." She shook her head, rolling her eyes, and continued.

"Anyway, he called together the other gods and goddesses and told them of Hitotoki-sama's 'crime.' They all seemed to agree that she should not have relations with a demon, and so set out to separate them. When she refused to leave him, war broke out."

Kagome looked over at her. "They fought a war over a little personal matter like that?!"

Meisai shrugged, nodding. "That was Hitotoki's reaction. She couldn't believe they would attack her over this – she couldn't even understand how it was any of their business. So, unwilling to fight her fellow gods, she fled to the earth.

"Her lover tried to hide her among their people, but his brother found them out and revealed them to the rest of the demons. Just like the gods, the demons were outraged that such a powerful youkai as he would consort with a goddess. So in the end, both sides were against them. Most of the gods and demons were killed in the war, and those few that weren't have since disappeared, leaving only ever-weakening bloodlines in their stead." She looked down at the floor, watching her reflection in the marble as they walked. "But Hitotoki-sama left no descendants, and so we have been without a god or goddess to rule us. We are a god-less people." She caught Kagome's eye, holding her gaze steadily.

"And _that_, Kagome-sama, is where you come in."

***

Inuyasha sprang out of the well back in his own time and was immediately off and sprinting toward the village, foregoing the trails for the more direct route of dashing straight through the trees. He burst from the forest at the edge of the village, continuing at breakneck speed despite startling and nearly bowling over several villagers who passed too near him, not slowing until he had reached Kaede's hut. 

"KAGOME!!" He burst through the doorway, roaring, startling the hut's inhabitants.

Kaede was the first to recover, and she climbed laboriously to her feet, frowning at the half-demon. "Inuyasha, what is this? Kagome has yet to return from her time."

"But- But she has to be here!" _This is the only other place she goes when she's upset! If she's not back in her time, and she's not here, then WHERE IS SHE?!_ He looked around the hut frantically, wondering if perhaps Kagome _was_ here, but had told Kaede not to let him know. He growled. Something else was missing…

"Where are Miroku and Sango?" he demanded, looking between Kaede and Shippou sitting by the fire pit. 

Kaede traded a look with Shippou before returning her gaze to the distraught dog-demon. "They are in another village, exterminating a rogue youkai.. Inuyasha, has something happened? How is it that you and Kagome were separated?"

Inuyasha shook his head, beginning to pace the floor of the hut. "I don't know.. I…" He looked up, sniffing the air and frowning to himself.

There was the old, musty scent of Kaede, Sango and Miroku's, both about a day old now, and the smells of random humans who had come and gone, calling on their elderly priestess. The scent of fox hung heavily in the air as well, Shippou's most prominent, but the other one… 

His brows drew together as he drew in a long breath, ignoring Kaede's questioning. This scent was masked, like that kitsune-bitch who'd tried to trick him. It smelled almost human, just barely off. Now where had he smelled this before..?

His gaze suddenly snapped up as it hit him. "That girl.. what's her name… who was staying here – Kagome said she just wandered into the village a little over a week ago – where is she?!" he demanded, whirling to face the old miko. 

Kaede's frown deepened, her brows knitting in confusion and worry. "You mean Meisai-san. She was here this morning, but I have not seen her since the noon-day meal…"

"I saw her going out to the forest," Shippou put in, then added a little more quietly, "She was sorta heading toward the well.."

Inuyasha stared at him for an instant, before turning and bolting back the way he had come, Kaede's calls not even reaching his ears before he was gone.

He sprinted through the trees, running full-tilt back toward the well. It hit him when he was half way there that he honestly had no idea where to look for Kagome or this 'Meisai' bitch. If anything, he would probably find some clue around the well, as he had leapt out so quickly that he could have very well missed an obvious sign of where they had gone. 

_But what the hell do these kitsune want with Kagome?!_ he wondered, dodging around a thick clump of trees in the middle of his path. _Probably just after the Jewel, he thought darkly, not for the first time cursing the little glass ball that Kagome still insisted on wearing everywhere. The damned thing had brought them so much trouble already, and they still hadn't thought up a good use for it, beyond making him human._

He glanced up when he felt himself nearing the well, his eyes going wide and his feet skidding on the ground as he brought himself to a screeching halt. He just stared at the figure before him.

Sesshoumaru turned when he heard him arrive, arching one slender eyebrow at the hanyou's bedraggled appearance. Inuyasha swallowed hard, unsure whether to drop into a defensive stance or not. Their relationship had been rather.. odd since Naraku's death. Sesshoumaru had played a key role in helping them defeat the shape-shifting youkai, and had since not shown any sort of malice for their motley little group beyond his usual cool disdain. Of course, he hadn't acted particularly friendly toward them either, which just left Inuyasha confused. Was he their ally or their enemy?

Sesshoumaru drew himself up to his full height, almost habitually looking down his nose at his younger half-brother. He could smell the confusion already pouring off him, and he cleared his throat to begin speaking… 

** ** ** ** **

Whoohoo!!!! Finally finished it!!! I'm so happy!!! ^___^

Well, shorter than the last chapter (but then, just about anything's short compared to _that_ monster…), but I hope y'all liked it ^_^ Just in case it wasn't clear enough, _No, Inuyasha did _not_ have sex with the Kagome-look-alike (aka Marudashi, the leader of the Kurotsune). Yeesh.. *shudders* So, now you have two cliff-hanger-ish things! 1- What could Meisai possibly mean about Kagome's part in this whole scheme? And 2- what the heck does Sess want?? Heh, stick around 'til next time to find out!! ^__^_

And now.. Review Responses!! ^__^

Thank you to **Elissa**, **Destiny, **gatogirl**, ****AnimeObsessionFantasy, ****child-of-the-goddess, ****salad, ****junbug950, **obsession171**, **Crystal Twilight**, ****Keidochan, ****RavenShadow, **boobala's blood clot**, and **Cattykit** for all the great comments!! It makes me so happy to know you guys enjoy my writing!! *beams***

**Princess Sapphire**, **pruning shears, and **Matte Inuyasha** asked why Inuyasha (or Shippou, for that matter) couldn't detect Marudashi's or Meisai's scents. I tried to explain this in the fic, but in case it still wasn't clear enough, it's because the Kurotsune are like the master tricksters & disguisers, even to the point of masking their scents and aura (although aura is certainly harder than scent). The white dogs, being the most powerful of the canine demons, _can_ detect their scent, although it usually takes them a little while. Plus, Inuyasha's only half dog-demon, so he's going to have an even harder time of it. However, after he finds it once, BOOM! He can find it all the time! Just like the Cutting Wind (Wound of the Wind, for all you Viz-aholics :P)**

**Tracey Claybon: **Heh. I dunno.. Sess does know about their relationship, but he's pretty indifferent I guess *shrug* ^_^

**Lady AA-Chan:** Hehehe.. Sorry, didn't mean to scare you! ^__^ As for how she got in there, basically, they can teleport in a way, so locking the doors wouldn't have done any good to keep her out. More on that in upcoming chapters ^_~

**Sesshoumaru13:** *backs away from cursing reader* Um.. Okay… I hope you're just sayin' that cuz of the cliff-hanger at the end of the chapter.. or the nasty Inu x somebody-OTHER-than-Kag lime… Please don't hate me!! ;_;

**Peapod:** I dunno… I type everything in Microsoft word, in HTML format, then upload the whole thing… maybe you just need to switch programs *shrug*

**Dark Rose:** Glad you liked it, but there will be no lemon. Sorry..

**Laura Petri:** Hee hee ^_^ Your review was so long, I just had to reply to it! I'm glad you like the fic, even if it does make you angry! Believe me, I hate Marudashi (the Kagome-look-alike) as much as any of your readers. She's just so evil, and she's getting in the way of the Inu/Kag WAFF that I am oh so addicted to.. ;_; She's a big part of the plot tho (like _the_ villain in this.. ehehe..) *sigh*

**ShiroInu:** Gah!! Multiple personalities!! *backs away* Eh.. Glad you're so into the fic, I think… No really, I just crack up every time I see your review! It's so funny! ^___^v

**_Glossary:_**

_-sama –_ name suffix showing great respect (or a distant relationship, as in "houshi-_sama_")

_-san –_ name suffix showing polite formality and respect

_Hanyou –_ Half-demon

_Kami –_ gods, usually associated with some natural thing or some aspect of every-day life (e.g. the thing they fought in the "Water God" story arc)

_Kitsune –_ fox demon

_Miko –_ Shinto priestess/shrine maiden

_Youkai –_ demon 

Please review!!!


	10. The Prophecy

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 10

Whoa.. Can't believe I've gotten this far… And all without owning any of the Inuyasha characters or plot… *sigh*

** ** ** ** **

Sesshoumaru cleared his throat, golden eyes cool as he watched his half-brother, a wary growl already making itself audible in the younger demon's throat. "I have been trying to reach you for several days now," he said in his usual cold monotone, a reproving rumble behind his voice that he knew his brother would instinctively respond to.

As expected, Inuyasha's ears flattened against his skull, his shoulders hunching slightly as his posture became almost unconsciously more submissive and apologetic even as he continued to glare. "What the fuck do you want, Sesshoumaru? I'm in a hurry."

Sesshoumaru raised one fine eyebrow. "You will hear me out." The rest of his sentence was left unsaid, _Even if I have to beat you to a bloody little pulp to make you sit still, you half-breed bastard._ Inuyasha growled all the louder, his stance becoming aggressive once again as his hands curled, readying to strike at the older demon. He opened his mouth to yell angrily, but Sesshoumaru cut him off. "I have news concerning your mate, Kagome," he added, knowing that would get his attention.

Inuyasha stopped abruptly, staring at him, before his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What do you know about Kagome, bastard?!" he demanded. "Do you know where she is?!"

Sesshoumaru actually looked surprised and maybe even a little confused for about half a second, before regaining his composure and simply frowning down at the hanyou. "She is not with you?"

"No!" Inuyasha snarled impatiently. "Why do you think I'm in such a fucking hurry?! I've gotta find her!!"

Sesshoumaru touched one hand to his forehead, closing his eyes as if he had a headache. Then, he opened his mouth and let slip one rarely-heard phrase:

"Damn it."

***

Meisai led her to a pair of huge mahogany doors, stopping and waiting impatiently for her to catch up when she reached them. "These are your rooms," she said shortly, shoving open one door for her to step through. Kagome couldn't help noticing how tense she seemed all of a sudden. She was no doubt awaiting Kagome's question: what did all of this have to do with her?

Swallowing hard, she stepped forward into the dark hallway behind the door. The instant her foot touched the floor, the hall flooded with light, leaving her momentarily blinded. She blinked several times, trying to clear her vision, while Meisai waited impatiently next to her. The fox girl seemed jumpy all of a sudden, nervous. Frowning to herself and thinking of their earlier conversation, Kagome finally got up to question that had been plaguing her from the very beginning. 

"Meisai," she asked, turning to look back at the fox-girl, "why me?"

Meisai could only stare at her for a moment, her eyes becoming impossibly wide. She had both hoped for and dreaded that small, simple question. Why her? Why Kagome, of all people? 

"Because you're the goddess. You are Hitotoki reincarnated."

Kagome blinked, and then her face hardened. 

"It's not like that!" Meisai hurriedly amended. "We've been watching you for a long time, so I know this sounds like the same thing you used to hear all the time about just being Kikyou's reincarnation, but it's not! Kikyou was a reincarnation herself – and besides, there's no such thing as 'just a reincarnation.' You're a different person in each life time, even if you have the same soul."

Kagome drew a deep breath, and nodded slightly, though the tension did not leave her face. "I'm human, though. Why bring me here, even if I am the goddess reborn? I can't rule here the way she did."

Meisai shook her head. "It doesn't matter that you're human. The power is contained within your _soul_, not your physical form. So as long as you have the soul of Hitotoki, you will _always_ be the goddess, no matter what form you are born into."

Kagome nodded, turning back toward the door, her face still grim. It made sense, especially when she considered her unexplainably powerful miko powers, surpassing even those of Kikyou, her past incarnation. Or Naraku's detachment Kanna had tried to suck out her soul, failing because her mirror, which had held the souls of an entire village at one time, could not contain her one soul. 

"Isn't there somebody else?"  Kagome asked quietly, pausing in the doorway once more. "A Kurotsune who could rule you?"

Meisai just stared at her wordlessly, then slowly shook her head. Kagome sighed and turned to make her way down the corridor to her rooms. The doors swung closed behind her, leaving Meisai standing alone in the hallway. 

The fox-girl slowly turned away, pondering the girl's questions as she made her way to her own quarters. Was there someone else who could rule them? A Kurotsune? 

No, of course not. 

Although…

There were rumors. She had never found any truth in them, but hadn't it been whispered long ago that her own father, Tendou, had been the son of Hitotoki and the demon Ryoushi? She would have asked him himself, but she had been too young to understand when he was killed in the great war between the Gods and the Demons. 

She shrugged to herself. It didn't matter. It was probably just a stupid rumor anyway. No truth to it at all. 

Still, she had to wonder… What if it was true? What if her father really was the one child born from Hitotoki and Ryoushi's love? Was it even possible? 

And then, if it was… Could he have been reincarnated as well?

***

Kagome just sat, staring at her reflection in the mirror before her. She was draped in layers of black chiffon, making a beautiful flowing dress that seemed to float around her petite form. Her hair was partially up, the main mass of it left to fall down her back, a few thin strands curling gently around her shoulders. Her appearance had changed as she entered her rooms, morphing into the elegant clothes of a goddess as she walked. Yet her eyes were large and sad, depressed, contrasting sharply with the beauty of the rest of her appearance. 

She closed her eyes tightly. She couldn't bear to think about it. Now that Meisai had left her alone, she had no one to talk to, nothing to focus on or to keep her busy. Reality came crashing in on her, painful and sharp.

She hadn't imagined what she'd seen. Inuyasha had… had cheated on her. For all she knew, he'd been doing it the whole time. Maybe from the start of their quest even..? Inuyasha may have been half-demon, but he was still very good looking, and there were surely prostitutes in many of the towns they'd stayed in that wouldn't care about the heritage of a client as long they got paid…

Of course, there was the problem: Inuyasha never had any money. Miroku could deftly swindle a village head or pick a passerby's pocket, but Inuyasha? She snorted. No, that just wasn't him.

She frowned to herself, pillowing her head on her folded arms on the vanity in front of her. _That_ was the real problem. It just didn't _fit_. Inuyasha was no womanizer, or lecher, or… Maybe she was just being paranoid. It was probably just the once…

She scowled, catching herself. _'Just the once'? Isn't once enough? I had to put up with him clinging to Kikyou all through the quest, and then all the stupid women he kept ogling when we went shopping, and now THIS!_ She clenched her eyes shut again, burying her face in her arms. It just wasn't fair…

Wasn't he supposed to love her? He had asked her to marry him, for crying out loud! But then, no sooner were they an official couple, but he goes and starts paying attention to every other female on the PLANET, except for her!! What gave?!

_Of course, all those women looked like Kikyou… and like me… _she thought, remembering that shopping trip downtown, nearly a week ago now. What if it wasn't so much an issue of if he loved her, but that he was just picking up women who looked like her because she wouldn't sleep with him until they were married? She shuddered. That was sick…

_Maybe it's better this way,_ she found herself thinking. As much as she liked the idea of a 'fairy-tale ending,' she did have to take a step back and look at the reality of their situation. There was no way they could ever be together. It wasn't even so much a question of which time period they lived in – either of them could adjust eventually, and they would always have the well to travel back and forth, anyway. But it was an issue of _time_ itself: she was mortal while Inuyasha was _im_mortal. She couldn't even imagine what it would be like when she was fifty and he still looked like he was seventeen. Plus, she would eventually die, and he would once again be left alone. Way too much heartache for a working relationship… 

Tears built in her eyes, finally spilling over onto her cheeks. Her mind could be rational and cold about the whole thing, but her heart... He was still her best friend, and she still loved him, even against her better judgment as it was. 

It just wasn't fair!

***

After taking a long, deep breath, Sesshoumaru let his hand fall from his face. "How much do you know about the 'Daughter of the Sunset'?" he asked finally, looking tiredly down at the half demon.

Inuyasha frowned, watching him suspiciously. "It's the old treaty Oyaji made with the Higurashi clan.. why?"

"No.." Sesshoumaru sighed. It seemed he would have to start at the beginning… He took a deep breath, let it out. "The term 'Daughter of the Sunset' originated in a set of prophecies dating back several hundred years. ..Are you familiar with the tale of Hitotoki and Ryoushi?"

Inuyasha thought for a moment, keeping one eye on his half-brother the whole time. "I think so… That's the one about the goddess who fell in love with a dog-demon, right?" His mother had told him all kinds of stories when he was little, and if he remembered correctly that particular tale had been one of her favorites..

"Aa," Sesshoumaru nodded. "Hitotoki, the time goddess, and Ryoushi, a great white dog-demon. Their relationship caused a war between the Gods of the heavens and the youkai of this earth, and they both were killed. Do you know the rest of the story?"

Inuyasha frowned. "They were supposed to be reincarnated until they got things right… I think…"

Sesshoumaru nodded again, "They were to be reborn three times, to be exact. As the prophecy goes, with each new life, they would both become more human, until they could finally be together." He gave Inuyasha a look when the younger demon muttered something that sounded like 'Load of sappy romantic shit..' His eyes narrowed, watching the hanyou closely. "This _is_ the third time, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha watched him with narrowed eyes. "What..?"

***

Meisai let the door slide closed behind her, her eyes slowly adjusting to the cool darkness in the room. After a moment, she stepped away from the entrance and made her way over to her late brother's desk. 

His computer sat dormant atop the mahogany desk, already collecting dust after Gisou's rather recent death. She sat in the large wheeled chair, casually noting that he had finally settled on one era of decoration for his rooms: middle American, late 19th century AD. He always did love the culture of the West...

Meisai sighed and leaned forward to switch on the large black computer, the screen bathing her in pale blue light as it warmed up. Now that her mission to retrieve Kagome-sama was finished, she had time to begin cleaning out her brother's files and sorting through his belongings.

She absently typed in the password he hadn't known she knew, glancing around the room nostalgically as the machine loaded up. Her head whipped back around to stare at the screen in shock, though, when her brother's voice suddenly sounded in the heavy silence of the room.

"Meisai." The image on the computer screen smiled slightly and inclined his head, his unique green eyes sparkling mischievously the way they always had. 

She smiled even as tears formed in her eyes. "Gisou-"

"I knew you'd be the only one who would come snooping around my computer, so I figured I'd leave you a message." Gisou shifted, his face becoming more serious. "If you're seeing this, I must already be dead. And if not, well, I just hope I can trust you with this information. While I know that you would support my cause, I also understand that you need to look out for your own well being." He drew a long breath before continuing.

"To put it simply, Marudashi is planning to use the Child for her own purposes. She has no intention of restoring the Goddess to her throne. She seeks only her own gain from this."

Meisai leaned forward on her elbows, her eyebrows knitting together as she listened to her brother explain the basics of their 'Mistress's' plans.

***

_'The third time'? What the hell..?_ "I don't know what in the hells you're talking about," Inuyasha growled, shifting from foot to foot restlessly. What the hell did some old bedtime story have to do with him and Kagome?! Damnit, he was running out of time!

"No, I suppose you wouldn't.. People rarely remember their past lives..."

Inuyasha felt a tick start up in his left cheek. He didn't have time for this! "What the hell are you saying?!"

Sesshoumaru drew a long-suffering sigh, rolling his eyes heavenward as if asking for some divine help, and then locked those stone-cold amber orbs back on his younger brother. When he spoke, his voice was as acidic and poisonous as the venom from his claws, "I am _saying_, you little idiot, that _you_ are the dog-demon Ryoushi, pathetic as you seem now, and that _I_ am here to make sure you get things right for once, because this is your_ last damn chance!!_"

Inuyasha blinked several times, having taken a step backward in the face of his brother's sudden anger, his hands held up defensively in front of him. He swallowed, then asked, "So.. So, I'm supposed to be that guy from the story, and that makes Kagome what? Some kind of goddess?" Straightening, he snorted. "What a load of bullshit. You're off your rocker, Sesshoumaru. Kagome's about as damn human as you can get, and I know _I_ ain't no reincarnation!" he growled, jerking a thumb at his chest.

Sesshoumaru watched him for a moment, eyes half-closed and mouth drawn, before stalking away past his half brother. Inuyasha spun to keep his eyes on him. "Where the fuck are you going?!" he demanded, dropping into a fighting position in case Sesshoumaru decided to attack.

The dog-demon didn't even pause. "This Sesshoumaru has wasted enough time on you and your human bitch," he said loftily, striding away toward the trees. "Do what you will, but do not look to me for assistance." And with that, he was gone.

Inuyasha growled and made a rude gesture at his back, before turning back to the well. He didn't get all that mystical mumbo-jumbo his brother had been spouting.. all that gods and demons and prophecies crap. He wasn't about to let his life be directed by some nut-case who lived hundreds of years ago and happened to put together a few coherent sentences for once. He shook his head, bracing his hands on the edge of the well. No, he didn't care what Sesshoumaru or Genshi or anybody said. He just needed to find Kagome. 

With that thought in mind, he leapt into the well, waiting for the sense of weightlessness that came with the transportation through time. He didn't expect to land in a sea of black mist, or to see a huge dark palace rising up out of the fog before him. 

Inuyasha blinked once, twice. 

"What the hell?!"

***

Kagome looked up at the light knock on her door, frowning and turning in her chair as whoever was outside simply decided to let themself in. A tall kitsune-woman stepped into the room, her face elegant and pale, and framed by shoulder-length black hair. She wore a short black dress that seemed to be made of silk by the way it caught the light as she moved toward the human girl. 

"Kagome," she breathed, her voice rich, yet cool. "I am Marudashi. I rule here." She held her hand out gracefully and Kagome took it hesitantly, rising from her chair in front of the vanity. "It is a pleasure and an honor to finally see you here, within this palace." She smiled slightly, dark eyes glittering. 

Kagome nodded, swallowing. She took her hand back after only a moment, trying not to be too obvious about rubbing it with her other. Marudashi had very cold hands…

The kitsune woman just watched her with narrowed eyes, that calculating smile still on her face, before turning to lead the way out of Kagome's rooms. "Come. We have much to accomplish, and so very little time in which to do it."

Kagome frowned curiously, and followed. 

***

Meisai shot out of her brother's rooms as fast as her legs would carry her. While she didn't agree with her brother's solution – namely, _killing_ the Child of Dusk – she knew she couldn't just let Marudashi go about her plans unopposed. She put on a new burst of speed as she neared Kagome's rooms. 

She threw the door open, rushing in. Maybe she was still here? "Kagome?" she called, jogging through the different sitting rooms, dressing rooms, and finally to the huge bed chamber at the rear. She knew it was practically blasphemy to come bursting into the Child's rooms like this, but she had to get her out of here before Marudashi got to her. "Kagome?!"

She swore. The place was empty.

***

Sesshoumaru walked along, brooding. All this time, wasted. The last few days spent running from his domain, to his brother's territory, and to the Higurashi lands, all for nothing. He should have known the little bastard wouldn't listen. He had wondered what the prophecies had meant in saying that Ryoushi would become 'more human.' Now he knew – it meant he would become more _stupid_ with each new incarnation.

He growled low in his throat, swatting a low-hanging branch out of his way as he stalked through the forest. Why did he care, anyway? He never gave a damn about the worthless little half-breed before, so why now? Why was it suddenly so important that he inform Inuyasha of his role in the past? That he make sure that the miko-bitch be restored to her rightful place of power?

He sighed, irritated, and reached inside his kimono, drawing out the carefully rolled scroll, bound in exquisite black silk for the journey. It was not the original, of course, but a copy of the passages regarding the 'Final Trial,' as the seeress had called it. Most of her prophecies were obscure, vague, describing events and people without any explanation or purpose. Many scholars had dismissed her as crazy, or a fraud, at least when it came to prophecy. Of course, none could doubt her powers as a miko – far too many youkai had died at her hands for that. 

It had disturbed him, though, how she had foretold her own death. She had seen the battle, and the great demon whose soul she would enclose with her own in a tiny, yet powerful, gem, but she had done nothing to change it, nothing to stop it. Some – the disbelievers – said that she 'foresaw' it because she had set up the whole thing. It hadn't been enough that she was a powerful miko; she wanted to have such an ending that she would be remembered for centuries to come. So she had made a bargain with the demons: she would allow them to possess a human under her protection, if they would agree to fight her, fearful of her as they were. The demons agreed, thinking that in their huge numbers they would finally be able to overpower her. And so the battle had begun. 

Sesshoumaru had been a disbeliever. At least until he had come upon a set of passages that he had never read before. What he found in them shocked him to the core.

The prophecy identified him specifically.

That was what originally caught his eye – that the prophetess had called for the 'One-armed Brother of half-blood.' (That had been offensive at first – it was Inuyasha who was the half-blood, not him. Then it occurred to him: it didn't mean half _pure_ blood, but simply that this 'One-armed Brother' would only share half of his heritage with the Ryoushi reincarnate.) He had become rather distinctly aware of his missing limb after that. His only thought was that it must have been a coincidence. 

That was when the nightmares began. 

Sesshoumaru was a demon of great dignity and pride, certainly not one to admit to being frightened by some fancy conjured up in his mind as he slept, but there had been no shaking the dreams, especially when their images began superimposing themselves on events around him in his waking hours. Once, he had even seen Rin as a grown woman overlaying the small girl smiling up at him. This adult Rin had been wearing a tiara of flowers, just like the ones the child always wove for herself as well as for he and Jaken, and she had been smiling up at him sweetly, warmly. She had seemed to be some kind of forest sprite, and a flash of memory suddenly informed him quite firmly that she had been his mate in lives past. He had spent the rest of the day a good thirty feet away from her, enclosed in a surly, thoughtful silence.

While some of the memories were pleasant, like the ones involving Rin, many were not. Many were filled with violence, anger, and guilt. Anger at his brother – how dare he betray their clan like that?! Who did he think he was?! Ryoushi, of all people, should have known better than to consort with a Goddess! Then came the guilt – his brother, lying there, dying. He managed to crawl to that woman with his last breath, taking her in his arms as they both fell in the puddle of their mingled blood. He had done that himself. He had let them be killed. He had betrayed his own flesh and blood with a crime far worse than any unsuitable love affair.

Shortly after the dreams began, they had met in their final conflict with the hanyou-turned-demon Naraku. It had been a long, bloody battle, but they had all come out alive in the end, even Inuyasha's human companions. (He begrudgingly gave them a new respect – while they in no wise held the awesome power of he, Sesshoumaru, they had all handled themselves extremely well, especially the miko-girl, who had, in the end, been the key to defeating Naraku.) When the battle was won and the dust had cleared, he had stood at the edge of the field, regarding his brother silently. The hanyou had stared back, obviously unsure of what to make of the situation. Was he a friend or a foe? Sesshoumaru did not know the answer to that question himself. 

He had left the battlefield without a word, pausing only long enough to revive Jaken and call Rin to him. They had returned to his father's castle, deep in the western-most lands of Nippon, where Sesshoumaru had again studied the prophecies given by the miko Midoriko, determined to find some proof against his seeming memories of a past life. All he found, however, was more evidence ratifying his dreams, which led him to the strange decision to go out of his way to help his filthy little half-breed brother. 

Which brought him back to his original question: _why_ did he care?! After he had found the prophecies of Ryoushi and discovered the importance of the Final Trial, it had seemed like something he couldn't help doing. It was almost as if he were trying to make up for some past transgression, some guilt he still carried with him in this new lifetime.  

Like betraying his brother Ryoushi. And getting him killed. 

That seemed to explain a lot – the last thing he remembered was feeling angry at Ryoushi for betraying their people. Perhaps that would explain his inherent dislike, even hate, for the half-demon. In retrospect, he hadn't had much feeling toward Inuyasha's mother, either positive or negative – indeed, it was not unheard of for a demon lord to take a human mistress. But when Inuyasha had been born, he had been filled with unexplainable disgust and anger. Yes, it was in part because he was a half-breed, but the blind rage he had felt at the hanyou's birth was more than that. It was almost as if he were still angry with Ryoushi, and disgusted that he would dare to show his face once again. And so their hate-filled brotherhood had begun. 

Sesshoumaru sighed and closed the scroll, rolling it tight and securing its silk covering around it before replacing it in his kimono. So here he was, trying to make up for a guilt he still felt – Ryoushi may have consorted with the enemy, a goddess, but he, Hyakaku, had betrayed his own flesh-and-blood! He led his own brother to his death!

He had warned Inuyasha and tried to tell him about the prophecy, but he knew it wouldn't be enough. The idiot wouldn't realize what he'd said was true until it was too late. 

He growled, frustrated with himself and his lack of resolve, asking himself again why he even cared, even as he turned and began making his back the way he had come. 

***

Marudashi smiled to herself as she led the human girl through the halls of the palace. The girl was like a meek little lamb, completely unsuspecting that even now she was being led to the slaughter. Of course, it wouldn't have mattered even if she had tried to resist. Marudashi had seen her in action and she had very little control over her powers. Nothing to worry about. 

They were nearing the throne room now. Not the one where she usually sat to give orders, the _real_ throne room. The Goddess's throne room. 

She smirked, casting a sidelong look at the unsuspecting girl trailing along behind her. Meisai had done well, bringing the girl here, and even making her feel at ease in the palace and with the Kurotsune. She wouldn't suspect a thing, until it was too late. 

Her smile widened. Soon, _she_, not Kagome, would be the Time Goddess.

** ** ** ** **

Yay! Done! At last! ^_^ Hope you guys liked!

-

Okay, in case this was confusing-

Ryoushi = Inuyasha

Hitotoki = Kagome

Hyakaku = Sesshoumaru

Tendou = Meisai's father

Gisou = Meisai's brother (the Kurotsune who tried to kill Kagome toward the beginning)

Hope that helps! ^_^;

-

Please review!


	11. Heart of a Goddess

"Higurashi" by Jezunya

Chapter 11

Still don't own it... *sigh*

Well, happy Easter everyone! ^_^ Or, happy Passover (Mm.. matzo...) if you're Jewish! Or, uh.. happy getting-days-off-from-school if you don't celebrate either..? Anyway, hope you like this chapter! *cackles evilly*

** ** ** ** **

Meisai sprinted through the winding hallways of the palace, making her way to the reception hall as fast as she could. It was the only way she could think of to find Kagome. 

It was a large, round room, lined on all sides with tall, black mirrors. The mirrors served several purposes: they allowed the Kurotsune direct passage to and from places and times on Earth, without having to rely on the physical portals like Kagome's well. They also worked as a kind of security system – much like the camera-and-TV systems used in the time Kagome had grown up in – allowing one to observe any place, time, or event on Earth or in the palace. Which was how she noticed the dog-demon warily making his way up the front steps. 

At first, she was alarmed. How did _he_ get there? Had he followed them when she brought Kagome through? He must have come through the well, but he couldn't possibly know how to control the portal there… Meisai shook her head. It didn't matter – the only important thing was that he was here, and he could help her defeat Marudashi. …If she could get him to cooperate, anyway. 

Taking a deep breath, she turned to walk to the entrance, transforming as she went. 

***

Inuyasha looked up, freezing in his tracks as one of the large double doors at the front of the building began to slowly move outward. The door opened only a foot or two before a head popped into view, and Inuyasha found himself facing…

"Kagome?!" Hurriedly, he shoved Tetsusaiga back into its sheath and started up the stairs as the girl smiled and stepped out from the behind the door. 

"I've been waiting for you to get here," she said, clasping her hands behind her back as he drew near. 

Inuyasha nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder in concern. "Are you alri-" His eyes widened and before she could even open her mouth to ask what was wrong, he was holding her against the wall by her throat.

"You almost had me," Inuyasha growled, squeezing slightly on her throat. "But I'm not falling for that one again."

"What- are you-?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about," he snarled. "You're a kitsune. I can smell it. Now drop the crap and show me your real form."

The girl tried to protest again, but another squeeze on her throat had her nodding her head, and she managed to croak out, "Okay… Okay!"

With a snort, Inuyasha released her and stepped back. The Kagome-look-alike collapsed to the ground, coughing and holding her throat. "Nice way to greet someone trying to help you," she croaked, casting him a frosty glare. Inuyasha just growled and fingered Tetsusaiga threateningly. The kitsune made a face at him and stood, the human appearance melting away as she did so. 

She had long black hair and a thick black tail that thrashed impatiently around her legs as she regarded the half-demon with large, black eyes. She was dressed in a plain, dark green kimono-like tunic and black leggings, and she was almost as tall as him when she stood. 

Inuyasha snorted, folding his arms in his sleeves. "Well. You don't look like much."

Meisai bristled. "Now look, you-"

"And how do I know you aren't the same one from before, huh? Maybe I should just kill you now and be done with it," Inuyasha sneered, fingering the hilt of his katana again. He seemed to be liking being in control. 

"Can't you _smell_ who I am?" Meisai shot back, still glaring. 

"Keh." Actually, he _could_ smell that she wasn't the same fox that had impersonated Kagome before. However… "So maybe you're not the other one I fought, but I know your scent. You're the one that was hanging around the village, aren't you? Which means you're _also_ the one who brought Kagome here!" Inuyasha growled, flexing his claws dangerously. Meisai felt a bead of sweat trail down the back of her neck. 

"Listen," she growled back, fisting her hands at her sides. "Kagome's in a lot of danger right now, and we-"

The dog-demon suddenly grabbed her by the front of her tunic and dragged her forward, yelling in her face. "Where is she, you little shit?! I swear, if you hurt her-"

With a snarl and a small puff of smoke, Meisai transformed herself into the smallest thing she could think of – a germ. She floated a little ways away from the bewildered half-demon before changing back into her natural form. Inuyasha whirled around to face her as she reappeared, dusting herself off huffily. 

"_I_ haven't done anything to Kagome, besides make her feel at home. It's Marudashi you need to worry about," she growled at him, standing straight again.

"Who?" Inuyasha growled, watching her warily.

"Marudashi. If anyone caused trouble for you and Kagome-sama it was probably her." At Inuyasha's blank stare she sighed and began gesturing as she explained. "Short black hair, bit taller than me, annoying smile, real cocky." 

At this, recognition finally came into the dog-demon's face, and he nodded. "That's the one who was impersonating Kagome earlier. What's she want with me an' Kagome anyway?"

Meisai grimaced and looked down at her feet. This was where things got messy…

***

"Kagome."

The human girl looked up at the voice. Marudashi regarded her coolly, raising one eyebrow, as if inquiring about her thoughts. Kagome tried to stop herself from swallowing nervously. She had been thinking about Inuyasha. Again. Not that she had to feel guilty about it or anything. Somehow she got the feeling Marudashi wouldn't approve, though...

"Well? What do you think?" the fox woman asked at last, spreading her hands from where they had been folded across her chest to indicate the room around them.

Kagome looked around skeptically. Her first thought was that it was just another big room done up in shiny, black marble. It was rather depressing, really, although it did match her mood perfectly. The only thing that added to the room at all was the huge, intricately carved throne sitting at the other end, a long velvet carpet leading up to the dais on which it stood. All in black of course. She shrugged noncommittally.

Marudashi smirked at her and turned to lead the way down the carpet toward the throne. "This was the throne room of the Time Goddess," she said as she walked.

Kagome nodded, following. Marudashi probably didn't know that Meisai had explained it all to her earlier. 

"You are probably wondering why I brought you here," Marudashi said, turning to face her. She had reached the throne, and now stood beside it, resting her hand lightly on the armrest. Kagome just watched her, slowly making her way forward. 

The fox woman cocked her head to one side when she didn't answer, her eyes narrowing. "It is for one specific, and very _important _reason, I assure you."

"Meisai told me," Kagome finally said, looking up at her.

Marudashi raised one eyebrow. "And what would Meisai know about this?" she asked coolly, a dangerous note sounding in her voice.

Kagome half-frowned. "She… said that I was.. am.. the reincarnation of the Time Goddess." She paused, nervous, as Marudashi simply dead-panned at her. "She made it sound like I was supposed to rule here…"

Marudashi blinked at her a few times, slowly. Then, a sardonic smile spread across her face as she closed her eyes and shook her head. She chuckled softly, sending cold shivers down the human girl's spine. When her eyes opened, they were chilling, the deepest, darkest black Kagome had ever seen.

"No, Kagome. It is not _you _who will be the Goddess." Her smile grew, smug and gruesome. "It's _me_."

That's when the attack came.

***

"Let me get this straight… All that shit Sesshoumaru told me was _true_?!" Inuyasha demanded, stopping in his tracks to gape at the fox-girl.

"_Yes_," Meisai said, for what had to be the seventeenth time at least. She shifted impatiently, trying not to glare at the dog-demon too much, lest he loose his temper again and decide to lob her head off…

"So Kagome's some kinda goddess and I'm really a full-demon?"

"She_ was_ and you _were_," Meisai growled, her hands clenching and unclenching.

He seemed to think about that for a moment as they continued down the corridor, his brow furrowed in concentration. "How do I know this isn't just a trick?" he asked at last, eyeing her suspiciously even as she led the way through the palace.

"How did you know Kagome was Kikyou's reincarnation?" Meisai shot back, then glared over her shoulder at the half-demon when she heard his sharp intake of breath. "Oh yes," she said sourly, "I know all about _that._ Still a sore spot for you two, huh?"

"Shut up."

Meisai snorted and faced front again. They were nearing the reception hall. "It's a valid point, though. How do we know that Kagome is the reincarnation of our Goddess? The same way you lot knew she was Kikyou's reincarnation."

"What? You mean 'cause they look alike?"

Meisai rolled her eyes. "Her _soul_, you idiot! That old priestess in your village could tell that Kagome had the same soul as Kikyou! In the same way, _we_ have been watching for Hitotoki's soul to be reincarnated ever since she was killed!" She snorted to herself and continued down the hall. "…Although, yeah, they do all look alike," she conceded after a moment.

"Anyway, the point is, Hitotoki's soul is so huge and so powerful that it stands out like a beacon to us. The first time it happened, we were overjoyed. We tried to contact her, to get her to come back with us, but she just said that she had another mission to fulfill." Meisai trailed off, watching her feet as she padded along. She said 'we' and 'us,' but it had really only been she and her elder brother, Gisou. The other Kurotsune had been unsure, fearing it was a just a coincidence that a priestess had been born with a soul so much like that of their goddess. But she and Gisou had _known._ There were no doubts in their minds – this was Hitotoki!

She had received them warmly enough, but had turned down their invitations and even their pleas that she return with them. She had explained her 'mission' as best she could, although Meisai had not understood until just recently, until she had met Kagome for the first time.

The first two reincarnations had shared Hitotoki's soul, that was certain, but neither of them had held her _spirit_. Meisai had few memories of the goddess, but she knew that she had never been as bitter and angry as the seeress, nor as cold and detached as the priestess who came after her.

But Kagome…

Kagome was sweet, innocent, loving, just like Hitotoki had been before she'd died. She didn't seem to harbor any of the old feelings of rage and betrayal toward the god who had revealed her love-affair with the demon Ryoushi, although such feelings had filtered into the spirits of the two before her, in lessening degrees each time. The seeress had been filled with a white-hot hate, leading her to her violent death in the fight with the demon-of-demons; the priestess had been cold, and while she did not go out of her way to harm the betrayer's reincarnation, her movements were nothing more than mechanical, offering neither compassion nor forgiveness. With Kagome, however, the goddess's soul seemed to have finally purged itself of the destructive emotions, allowing Kagome to embody the sweet, loving spirit of the goddess once again. She had not only forgiven the god who had betrayed her, she had no memory of it whatsoever, not even an unconscious nervousness when in his presence! Heck, she even allowed the boy's attempts at courting her!

Meisai shook her head. Kagome might have godly patience with the boy, but personally she couldn't stand the little wretch... Not that she had much affection for Kagome's other suitor, she thought, casting a glance back at the half-demon who was devoutly glaring at the back of her head as he walked. She rolled her eyes and faced front again.

The doorway into the reception hall loomed up out of the blackness of the corridor, the room's many mirrors gleaming dully beyond it. Meisai drew a deep breath and quickened her pace, hearing Inuyasha do the same behind her.

She ran to the nearest mirror, picking up her search of the palace where she had left off when she had spotted the dog-demon outside. She had begun with the corridors nearest Kagome's quarter's and all of the rooms that came off of them, slowly working her way outward in a wider and wider radius around the girl's rooms. No luck yet...

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha growled behind her. "We need to find Kagome, and she sure as hell isn't in here!"

"I'm _trying_ to find her," Meisai grouched back, her eyes still scanning over the rooms the mirror presented her with. 

She could almost see the dog-demon shifting from foot to foot impatiently, a steady growl rising in his throat. "Then what the hell did you need me for? I thought you wanted me to help you find her."

"I can find her myself," she snapped, still not looking up, "but chances are she'll be with..." Her voice suddenly trailed off, her eyes narrowing as she gaped at the mirror. 

Inuyasha was beside her in one leap. He drew a sharp breath. "It's that kitsune-bitch," he snarled, his whole form tensing with rage.

"Marudashi," Meisai nodded, her insides going cold. "But where's Kagome..?" She expanded the image in the mirror, giving them a full view of the room. Meisai recognized the throne room at once, and also the grim irony of the situation when she spotted the human girl slumped at the foot of the dais. To have come so close to regaining her throne, only to fail at the last moment... Marudashi really did have a gruesome sense of humor.

"What..?" Inuyasha whispered from beside her, his face pale, confused. As they watched, Marudashi seemed to laugh to herself as she sauntered down the carpet leading out of the throne room, all the while licking a thick, dark red substance from her fingers. Around Kagome, a pool of the same substance was forming, slowly dripping down onto the floor from the raised platform.

Inuyasha fell back a step, his eyes wide, riveted on the scene in the mirror. His breath quickened, his whole body going cold and numb, yet on fire all at once. His mind was completely blank but for the terrible image of Kagome's limp, unmoving body. Then, he had one clear thought:

He was going to kill Marudashi.

He didn't know where he was going, but as he sped out into the corridor, the blood scent filled his senses, making him see red. He dashed down the hall, following it mindlessly to its source.

Two huge double doors appeared before him, and then were open in an instant as he barreled through them, skidding to a halt once he was inside. His eyes flew around the room wildly, finally landing on the form of the human girl slumped in front of the huge black throne. A pool of blood surrounded her, soaking into her clothes, her hair. She didn't move though.

"Kagome!" He ran forward, carelessly dropping Tetsusaiga as he fell to his knees beside her. She didn't answer, or make any move to acknowledge him. "Kagome!!" He grabbed her shoulders, turning her over to see her face. He shook her, begging her to wake up, to open her eyes, despite the gaping hole where her heart should have been.

Dimly, he was aware of Meisai approaching cautiously behind him. From her scent he could tell she was crying, but then so was he. He growled, then let out a frustrated scream as he cradled Kagome's limp form against him, not caring about the blood covering her and now him.

"Inuyasha..." Meisai put out a hand to touch his shoulder, then thought better of it and just clasped her hands in front of her. 

The dog-demon slowly loosened his grip on the corpse, gently laying her out on the floor in front of him. He stared down at her pale, delicate face, smudged with blood, his hands braced on his thighs in a semblance of relaxation even as his entire form radiated tension. "Is this what you planned?" he croaked, not looking up. "Maybe Kagome really was the reincarnation of your goddess. But it didn't matter, she was just human. Expendable, right? You just couldn't let me get away with what happened before, had to make me suffer." He wiped his face with his sleeve, closing his eyes and swallowing hard. "Well, it's working."

"I had nothing to do with-" Meisai began, but the clawed hand at her throat cut her off.

"I oughta kill you right now," Inuyasha snarled, holding her a foot off the ground by her neck. His free hand grasped for his sword, finally found it. "You little.. stupid…" He shook his head, gave her one last deadly glare and threw her across the room as hard as he could. With a loud thud she collided with one of the marble pillars lining the huge room, and Inuyasha was gone before she even hit the floor.

"Bastard…" Meisai coughed, painfully levering herself up onto her hands and knees. She looked up to glare in the direction Inuyasha had gone, but her eyes fell on the lifeless human girl instead. With a deep sigh, she got to her feet and made her way over.

She was dead; there was no mistaking that. No one would be able to survive with such a wound, not even the oh-so-great half-demon Inuyasha. She dropped to her knees, closing her eyes as she positioned the girl's hands to cover the hole in her chest, a gaping cavity right where her heart should have been.

Meisai grimaced, feeling tears prick her eyes once more. So close! They had been _so close!_ All this time of waiting, of watching as each reincarnation was born, until finally it was the third one. But now… She hung her head, her shoulders shaking as simple tears turned into quiet sobs. It was useless. They'd lost.

Her eyes opened slightly to stare down at Kagome's blurry form through her tears and something finally clicked in her head. Her heart. Her heart had been ripped out. Marudashi had been licking her fingers as she left. She had ripped out Kagome's heart with her bare hand. Licking her fingers. Meisai's eyes widened, resisting the urge to wretch as she scrambled away from the bloody scene.

Marudashi had _eaten_ Kagome's heart!! Meisai clutched her throat, feeling her whole body go numb as her stomach began to revolt. She had no other wounds on her, so she must have still been alive and conscious, and Marudashi just reached over and stuck her hand in her chest and… She shuddered, looking away in revulsion.

Of course, once the initial horror wore off, the other, even more significant fact of the situation came to the front of her mind. Meisai's eyes flew open.

It was a common, and not inaccurate, belief among the youkai of earth that the soul, and thus a being's power, was housed in the physical heart. Humans liked to think that it was just an organ, that there were no magical properties to it, but then most humans didn't have any 'supernatural' powers that would be rooted in their hearts. Most of them could only do what their four limbs allowed them. But Kagome…

Kagome was a powerful miko, and the reincarnation of a goddess. Her powers may have come from light and purity, but when it came down to it, she was just like a youkai – her powers were all based in her heart.

Marudashi had eaten Kagome's heart… She had absorbed Kagome's powers.

With a gasp, Meisai leapt to her feet to run after Inuyasha. She might not like the dog-demon much, but in this case they were on the same side, and at the very least, he'd need some help fighting someone with godly powers.

She was out of the room in an instant, and didn't even spare a glance back at the human girl's body. If she had, she might have seen the smooth, round jewel she wore at her neck slowly begin to pulse, almost like a heartbeat. She also might have seen Kagome's body slowly fade away, leaving behind nothing but a few bloodstains on the floor before the throne.

** ** ** ** **

Sorry, short chapter this time.. Kudos to anyone who can guess what's going on with Kagome (besides being dead...) Yeah, aren't I nice? I just killed the main character!! Wahahaha... ha... ha... *cough* Anyway, I hope this is making sense to you all. I think we still have a few more chapters to go (at least one and an epilogue-ish thing...), so don't worry, there is still more to come. ^_^

Also, I didn't come up with the whole eating-someone's-heart-to-absorb-their-powers thing… I don't know if they did this in the anime, but in the manga, when Inuyasha is fighting Hiten and Manten (the Thunder Brothers), Manten is killed first. Hiten then goes and eats Manten's heart, thus giving him all of his brother's powers. Kinda gross, I know, but then these guys are man-eating youkai and Marudashi is just plain nasty, so they're allowed to be gross…

Anyway, hope you liked!! Please review!!

-

Ps - Question for the readers/reviewers: do yall want a sad ending, happy ending, or _really_ happy ending?


	12. Seeress

A/N: Eh... Sorry it's been so long, everyone n.n;; Here's Ch12, at last. Read and review please!

"Higurashi" by Jezunya  
Chapter 12 - Seeress

He ran through the corridors of the Time palace, walls and doorways flying past him in a dark blur. He only paid his surroundings enough heed to keep from running into walls and pillars, but otherwise he was completely focused on the scent trail before him. It was easy enough to follow. She hadn't even tried to mask her scent, not that it would have done any good. He'd know her stench anywhere – not to mention she reeked of Kagome's blood.

A new wave of rage poured through him, and he didn't even mind the flashes of red before his eyes. The rage was about the only thing keeping him from collapsing and he knew it. His eyes narrowed as the scent grew stronger. She was close. He put on a new burst of speed and found himself back in the reception hall.

There she was. She was just standing there, staring into one of the mirrors with her back to him. He couldn't suppress a growl as he drew Tetsusaiga and crouched low in preparation to spring at her.

She must have heard him, because she suddenly blinked and looked over her shoulder at him, her eyes widening when they landed on him. "How the hell did _you_ get here!" Marudashi screeched, whipping around to face him completely. Inuyasha just growled in response.

Marudashi snorted and straightened, folding her arms across her chest and giving him a cool look. "Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You've had enough dumb luck on your side so far it's no wonder you managed to find your way here."

Inuyasha snarled and leapt at her, swinging Tetsusaiga.

Marudashi just laughed and danced out of the way. "But don't worry," she taunted, "I've got my own luck. And as you can see, it's serving me quite _well!_" She snapped her fingers, and Inuyasha froze mid-strike. He couldn't even widen his eyes in shock. Marudashi came close to whisper in his ear. "I could send you to see your beloved Kagome," she purred, while her hands worked on extracting Tetsusaiga from his grip. "If you want, I could even behead you with your own sword. Ah!" She grinned at him as the fang came free, then frowned as it de-transformed. "Hm. Maybe not then," she sighed, her lip curling as she inspected the rusted katana blade. "Although…" The smile returned and she slanted him a mischievous look. "It's always fun to chop somebody up with a dull sword." She kicked up and hit him in the stomach, sending his frozen form toppling backward. Halfway to the floor, his body came unfrozen and he fell in a crumpled heap, already in pain and trying to catch his breath from the blow to his midsection. "Now, that's much better," Marudashi grinned, advancing on him, Tetsusaiga braced on her shoulder. "After all, it's no fun if I can't hear you scream."

Inuyasha snarled at her, leaping away as she swung the katana. Once again, though, he found his body frozen in place when he hit the floor. "Bitch! What the hell is this!" he snarled.

Marudashi grinned as she came the kneel in front of him. "This is fun, that's what! I can stop time for your body, or even just part of your body, like everything from the neck down! Oh, I love this!" she giggled. "This way, you can't fight back, but I can still get your reaction when I start cutting you up into little pieces." Her smile widened and she raised Tetsusaiga over her head. "Now, what shall we cut off first?"

Suddenly, something huge and black barreled into her, bowling her over and sending the katana skittering across the floor, out of reach. Marudashi leapt back to her feet and whirled around, snarling, poised to attack. She froze, though, her face shocked, at the sight that met her. "Meisai?"

The younger fox-demon changed back from her sphynx form but remained where she was, crouched in front of Inuyasha's frozen form, replying only with a deep, furious snarl. Marudashi blinked once, and then her face darkened, contorting with rage. "You little traitor..!"

"You _dare_ call _me_ a traitor!" Meisai snarled, rising from her crouch. "I have always been faithful to our goddess!"

Marudashi smirked. "Yes, you have, haven't you? Well, I now have within me the powers of the Time Goddess," her hands crackled with black energy, "so bow and show your mistress proper respect!"

Meisai barely dodged the blow, grabbing a fistful of Inuyasha's haori and dragging him along with her. Behind her, several mirrors disappeared into a shimmering pile of sand and silver where the black energy struck them. Meisai's eyes widened as she watched. _She's.. sending them back to their original form!_

Marudashi followed her gaze to the pulverized mirrors, smirking. "Yes… Just think, how far could I send you back, hm? Till you're a helpless infant? Or perhaps farther… I should send you back to before your wretched father even conceived you! Before you even existed!" She raised her arm, grinning maniacally, and threw another bolt of dark energy at her. Meisai leapt backwards to dodge, still dragging Inuyasha with her, and right into one of the mirrors. The glass rippled like water as it swallowed them up, leaving Marudashi alone in the reception hall.

8 8 8

"Get off me!" Inuyasha yelled, throwing Meisai off of where she had landed sprawled across his back. He stood and shook himself off, growling loudly, and looked around. "What the hell..? We're in the well?"

Meisai didn't respond, just slowly standing and dusting herself off. She couldn't bring herself to face him. They'd lost – the battle with Marudashi, the struggle to restore the Time Goddess, everything. "Come on… Marudashi might try to follow us if we stay here," she said quietly, gripping the wall with her claws to begin climbing out.

"Wait a minute – you're not going anywhere!" Inuyasha snarled, and seized her around the middle, ripping her away from the wall.

"What are you-!" Meisai started, but broke off with a gasp when she was slammed back against the packed earth of the side of the well. When she opened her eyes again, she was met with the sight of two enraged gold orbs glaring hatefully into her own dark ones.

"This is all your fault! You led Kagome to that place, you got her killed! You-"

"I did what I thought was right!" Meisai spat back at him. "_You're_ the one who was supposed to be her protector!"

Inuyasha let go of her and turned away, but not before Meisai saw the grief-stricken look come onto his face. She sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping tiredly. "Look, we've both suffered a terrible loss. I know.. I know you loved her. So did I, in a way – she was my people's last hope for regaining what we'd lost." She stared at the dog-demon's tense back; he seemed to be shaking slightly. "But… there's nothing we can do now. She's gone."

"Shut up." The words were quiet, but strained. There was a flash of red and white, and then Meisai was alone in the well.

8 8 8

Inuyasha ran blindly, tearing through his forest with terrifying speed. The fox's words echoed through his head.

_"There's nothing we can do now. She's gone."_

He clenched his eyes shut. _No..!_

It wasn't Meisai's fault, he knew – it was his own blindness that had gotten her killed. He'd let himself be fooled by that kitsune-bitch, Marudashi. He should have been able to tell it was a trick! If he hadn't fallen for it – hadn't _let_ himself fall for it – Kagome wouldn't have seen him with that Marudashi bitch and she wouldn't have run off to the other side of the well and let Meisai take her to the Time Palace. And then, on top of that, he'd gotten there too late and had wasted time wandering around with Meisai. If he'd only been quicker-!

_"There's nothing we can do now."_

He shook his head, slowing. He couldn't keep going like this. He would have to go back to the village eventually. He'd… He'd have to tell the others what happened.

He stopped entirely, closing his eyes and dropping to his knees. "Kagome…" He clenched his fists hard enough to draw blood from his own palms. The noise started as a small whimper of pain in the back of his throat, but quickly ripped its way out of him as a chilling howl of pure grief.

All throughout the forest, animals were sent diving for their burrows and thickets, and villagers within a ten mile radius paused in their work to wonder what sort of demon could make such an ungodly sound.

8 8 8

Shippou was the first to notice his return. "Inuyasha!" he yelled, leaping off the porch and straight onto the dog-demon's shoulder. "Something's wrong with Meisai, but she won't tell us what and- uh- What's wrong with your face!"

The dog-demon looked away, lightly brushing the kitsune cub off his shoulder, and continued on into the hut, not even sparing a glance at the Kurostune now disguised as a human again. "Kaede! Baba, you in?" he called as he brushed the reed door aside, wincing slightly when his voice cracked.

He found the old miko seated by her cooking fire, Sango and Miroku beside her. She frowned up at him, her one eye sweeping over him, taking in his flushed face and red-rimmed eyes. "Inuyasha, what is wrong? You… appear to have been weeping…"

The other two were staring up at him with mixed expressions of horror and concern. "Did something happen with Kagome-chan?" Sango asked, sitting up on her knees, worried. Miroku simply watched him, his face just as worried as the other two, and waited for his reply.

He stared down at them, momentarily at a loss for what to say. He was vaguely aware of Shippou creeping in through the doorway, his worry and fear nearly tangible, and of Meisai, sitting stiffly just outside the door on the porch. Finally, he drew a long, shaky breath and began.

"Yes. Something happened to Kagome…"

8 8 8

Outside, Meisai slowly let her disguise slip away, her tail shimmering into view and her ears elongating to elfish points. Claws appeared at the end of her fingers, and her clothes morphed back from the yukata of her human disguise to her own tunic and leggings. It was useless to try to hide now, what with Inuyasha telling his companions the whole story, including who and what she was. She frowned, though, when he completely left out _why_ Kagome was in the Time Palace to begin with – that she was the Time Goddess!

She sighed then, telling herself to let it go. She was dead, so what did it matter what she _was_? It would be cruel to stop Inuyasha in the middle of his tale – better just to let him get it over with and not have to linger on the particulars of Kagome's death. Not to mention it would draw attention to the fact that _she_ was the one who had led the girl to the Time Palace, and ultimately her death. Definitely not something she wanted to dwell on.

Meisai stared down at the wood grain of the porch visible between her feet, letting her mind wander away from the dog-demon's voice droning on inside the hut. Why couldn't Kagome have been born a regular girl? Why couldn't she have just lived a safe, secure life, without having to worry about shattered jewels or reincarnations or goddesses or any of it? Why did any of it have to happen!

…And, most of all, why did she have to die?

8 8 8

"We should give her a proper burial," Sango said softly, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the hut's inhabitants. Inuyasha twitched, Shippou sniffled, and Kaede just nodded slowly.

"Yes. Perhaps Meisai could, ah… retrieve the, uh…" Miroku agreed, but then seemed to find it difficult to continue.

"I'll do it," Inuyasha said, his voice eerily calm, not looking up from where he had been staring down at the floor. "And I'll kill Marudashi while I'm there."

The reed door of the hut was suddenly thrust aside and Meisai appeared standing in the doorway, tail lashing back and forth, a furious scowl set on her face. "You idiot!" she yelled at him, her form shaking slightly with rage. "You _can't_ fight Marudashi, don't you get it!"

The dog-demon was expressionless as he stared up at her. "Why not?"

"She's absorbed Kagome's powers on top of her own, stupid! You're no match for her!"

The grim, steady gaze he sent her told her he already knew all that – especially the part about him being no match for her.

Meisai blinked once, half-frowning. "So, it's suicide, huh?" She looked away, a pained smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Well, I can respect that." Then, even as the humans in the room were still reeling with the implications of what she had said and that Inuyasha had not denied it, a red and white blur sped past her and out of the hut, rustling her hair slightly as he passed.

"Wait, Inuyasha-!" Shippou screamed after the dog-demon, beginning to give chase.

"Give it up, kit," Meisai said, looking in the direction Inuyasha had gone. "He has to do this."

"But-" He sniffled once, then said in a small voice, "I.. I don't wanna lose another papa…"

Meisai turned to look down at the cub with pity in her eyes, then froze. Shippou looked up at her, emerald eyes glistening with his tears. Green eyes… Why hadn't she noticed before? "They, uh.." She stopped, tried to clear the sudden lump from her throat. "Kagome and Inuyasha.. They were like your parents, huh?"

Shippou sniffled again, nodded. "Inuyasha can be a jerk sometimes, but I.. I don't want him to die!" he cried, and burst into tears again.

Meisai felt her resolve harden. "Don't worry. I'll make sure he gets back here in one piece – if I have to drag him back by his ears." She assured him, then turned to the door and was gone.

8 8 8

She found him at the well. He was covered in dirt, and was climbing out of the dark shaft just as she got there.

"Stupid well won't let me through!" he snarled before she could even ask. He reached the top, pulled himself up onto the wooden rim, turned, and leapt back in. He impacted with the ground with a loud thud and a snarled curse.

"You're trying to get to the Time Palace?" Meisai asked, leaning over the edge.

"Yes, damnit! What did you think!"

Meisai rolled her eyes but held a hand out to him. "Come back up here. I can get you there."

Inuyasha watched her suspiciously, then leapt up and out to land beside her on the wood rim. "What're you planning, bitch?" he asked, a growl in his voice.

"This well was originally set up to be a portal for time-users, like us Kurotsune," she said flatly, ignoring his attitude. "Just hold onto me when we go through, and it'll take us back to the Palace."

He wrinkled his nose at the idea, but took her offered hand nonetheless. Meisai counted to three and they jumped in. The well disappeared around them, and they found themselves in the chilling river of fog before the Time Palace once again.

"Come on," Meisai said, setting off for the front stairs of the palace. _Now let's just hope Marudashi isn't anywhere near…_

Inuyasha lagged behind a few paces, in no particular hurry. It wasn't like Kagome was going anywhere; he'd just have to make sure Meisai got her back to the others, so they could bury her or cremate her or whatever they planned to do. Then, he could find Marudashi.

He didn't care if it killed him. He was going to make her pay.

_Wait for me, Kagome… I'm coming._

8 8 8

In the Grand Library, deep in the dark palace, Marudashi searched the endless shelves of books and scrolls and manuscripts. It had to be there… This library contained every book that had ever been written and ever would be written, so how it could not have the prophecies of Midoriko?

Her eyes lit, a sigh of relief escaping her as she finally spotted the ancient scrolls. She stood up on her toes, snatching the prophecies off of their high shelf and hurrying over to the large table set in the middle of the room. She unrolled them, scanning over the first few pages quickly, until she found what she was looking for. It was just one line, a single, short sentence, but it had always puzzled her:

_"Today, a heartless goddess appeared before me."_

It sounded like some kind of unfinished journal entry – it was even dated at the top – like she had been visited by some cold, uncaring deity, but something had come up and she hadn't been able to finish the entry. Then, even more puzzling, the manuscript just broke off there. The last foot or so of the scroll was left blank, and then the prophecies started up again on a fresh page, but in a different hand. It was as if the prophetess had suddenly found a scribe to write for her.

Marudashi frowned to herself, resting her chin in her upturned hand. 'Heartless.' Could it be..? She had returned to the Throne Room after making sure that Meisai and the hanyou had really gone, but when she got there, Kagome's body was gone. There was nothing left there but a few stains on the floor. She had been puzzled, and then this passage had come to mind, sending a shiver up her spine. She'd taken Kagome's heart… Could she had gone and appeared before Midoriko?

She shook her head. She was being foolish. The girl was _dead._ She'd made sure of it herself. There was no way she could go appearing before any priestesses in other times.

"But now… I'm the Goddess," she whispered to herself, as a new idea took hold in her mind. Maybe.. it wasn't _Kagome_ the prophecy spoke of, but _Marudashi_!

She smirked to herself. Maybe she'd go pay the prophetess a little visit…

8 8 8

_"…Kagome…"_

_"…Wake up, Kagome…"_

_"…Kagome..!"_

"Dang it, Kagome! I'm not going to sit here all day waiting for you to get up!"

Kagome's eyes snapped open, staring around her wildly. With a comment like that, she would have expected Inuyasha to be standing over her, growling about how they were running late and if Naraku got all the shards it would be all her fault for sleeping in.

She didn't expect, however, to see her own face staring back at her.

With a cry, she sat bolt upright and began scooting away, before doubling over as a searing pain lanced through her chest.

"You shouldn't move. You're nowhere near completely healed yet," her mirror image said sternly, her hands reaching out to grasp Kagome's shoulders and pull her firmly back to lie on the futon beneath her. It was then that Kagome really got a good look at her face. They could have been sisters, twins even, except that this woman was years older than her, probably nearing thirty. …Plus, the blank white orbs where her eyes should have been sort of threw the whole image off.

Kagome gulped and stared in horror at the woman's face even as she allowed herself to be laid out on the thin mattress again. "Yes, I'm blind," the woman said curtly, pulling Kagome's hands down by her sides and laying a cotton kimono over her like a blanket.

Kagome's mouth dropped open in surprise. "How- How did you know that-"

"That you were staring at me? Because while I can't see the physical world around me, I have seen it all here," she tapped the side of her head, "in my mind's eye. I have seen every moment of everyday of your life, Kikyou's life, and parts of Hitotoki's life. I know where everything is all the time, I know what you're going to say and when you're going say it, and I even know that my son is about to get in serious trouble if he doesn't get away from that door and stop listening in on conversations that don't concern him."

Kagome blinked when a muffled gasp could be heard from beyond the wooden door on the other side of the room, quickly followed by the sounds of someone's hasty retreat.

The woman drew a deep, cleansing breath, then leveled her sightless gaze on Kagome once more, sending a shiver down the girl's spine. "You're no doubt wondering who I am and why I look like you. So I will tell you right now – I am Midoriko. Yes, the same Midoriko you have seen entombed in the exterminator's village, only, as you can see, I am not dead yet. And neither are you."

Kagome frowned up at the woman, trying to find her voice and failing. So she wasn't dead? But… "What- What happened..?" she finally managed.

Midoriko gazed down at her for a moment, her blank eyes blinking slowly. She seemed to be considering her words, or else trying to determine just what Kagome wanted to know. "Your soul has been restored to you," she finally said slowly, "in full."

Kagome frowned, her head feeling fuzzy. Her soul? But.. she hadn't lost her soul, had she? "What about Marudashi?" she asked, closing her eyes as he throat scratched painfully.

"She thinks she has taken your place," Midoriko said coldly, a sudden aura of white-hot rage pouring out around her. Her smile was nasty as Kagome began to drop off again. "But you'll show her. I know you will."

888 888

A/N: Heh. Well, what could possibly be going on here, I wonder? My lips are sealed, until next chapter, anyway n.n

Please review!


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